Brittle Bonds
by Vstriker
Summary: Benjamin Brittle and his family have just moved into Royal Woods, and he is not all that happy about having to leave his old home behind. After meeting one Luna Loud however, he finds out moving to this place might not be so bad after all. But teenage relationships are always complicated, and nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
1. The Brittle Brothers

"Boys, breakfast is ready!"

The young man groaned and stirred in his bed. He did not feel like getting up right now. In fact, he felt like sleeping for the rest of the day. "Boys! I'm not hearing anyone moving!" He grunted. It seemed like his brothers didn't feel like getting up either. "Alright then," the voice called warningly. "You leave me no choice. Brutus!"

His eyes shot open, but he didn't even get five seconds to prepare before a figure came bursting into his room. It was a large black and white Great Dane. He tried to get up, but the dog pounced on top of him and began licking his face. "Gah! Hey! Stop it! Get off me Brutus! Down! Bad dog, bad dog! Why do you always come for me first?!"

"You feel like getting up now?"

He growled. "Okay! Okay dang it I'm awake! Call him off!"

"Down Brutus!"

The dog suddenly stopped and jumped down onto the floor, looking at the boy and panting happily. He wiped his face off and glared at the beast. Usually Brutus always listened to him, but apparently his aunt outranked him in the pecking order. Which honestly wasn't really a surprise. "Traitor," he muttered as he rolled out of bed.

He washed up and quickly got dressed in his usual attire. A green shirt with star made of stone on the front, black jeans, and white tennis shoes. On his arm and neck you could see parts of a tribal spearhead tattoo on him. He looked in the mirror and ran his hand through his hair, which was short and curly. It was getting a little too long through. He needed to go the barber and get it cut soon.

He sighed. That was right. He needed to find a new barber.

Fifteen year old Benjamin Brittle had tried to be optimistic when his Aunt Berta told him and his brothers that they were moving. He knew it was a big opportunity for her, and he didn't want to come off as whiny. But having to leave behind still kind of sucked. A new school. New people. New everything.

But hey, he'd only been here one day. Maybe Royal Woods wouldn't be so bad. He made his way out of his room, which was still filled with packed boxes, and into the hallway. He saw one of his brothers' doors opening up as well. Seemed like Brutus jumping on him was enough to get them up.

The first to greet him was Bruno. At seventeen Bruno was a hulking muscular young man. Years of sports and exercise had given him muscles upon muscles, and he was by far the most intimidating figure in the Brittle family. He wore a black tank top which showed off much more of his tribal sun tattoos than his younger brothers, orange sports shorts, and black tennis shoes. Unlike Ben he opted to just shave his head, saying caring for hair was too much of a hassle.

"Morning little brother! Enjoy the wake up bath?" he asked with a hearty laugh.

"Very funny cue ball," Ben said scowling at him.

The next door opened up and the second eldest of the Brittle brothers walked out. Sixteen year old Bruce Brittle was a tall and lanky boy, towering even over Bruno height wise. He wore a blue sleeveless jersey and black shorts, along brown sandals. He had his hair cut into a buzz cut, and there were tribal lizard tattoos running down his arms. He simply offered his brothers a short wave, looking stoic as ever.

"Morning," Ben and Bruno greeted back. Their brother was a pretty friendly guy, but he was a man of few words. He preferred a simple wave or nod rather than conversation.

The next door open and Ben scowled. Fourteen year old Beck Brittle was his least favorite brother. Not that he didn't love him. He loved all his brothers despite how annoying they could be. But Beck was the one who annoyed him the most. He wore a red shirt with a lightning bolt on the front, blue jeans, and black sneakers. Like his brother he had tribal tattoos of his own. They resembled sea shells. His hair was tied into short dreadlocks.

"Morning jerks," he greeted with a smirk.

"Screw you mop top," Ben said irritated.

Bruno sighed and nudged him. "C'mon now, let's not get started this early in the morning ya'll. We're all still a little cranky from the move, but once we get some food in us we'll be all good," he said. Bruce nodded, Ben grunted, and Beck just shrugged his shoulders. Bruno had always been the peacemaker of the family. "Now, where are the-?"

The last door opened up and two identical looking boys ran out. Billy and Brady were the youngest of the Brittle brothers at twelve years old. They both wore yellow t-shirts, brown cargo shorts, and sandals, and both had their hair cut into Mohawks. The only really difference between them was the fact that one of them, Brady, was missing a front tooth.

Unlike their older brothers, they had no tattoos of their own to show off. "Speak of the devils, and they shall appear," Beck said as he watched them zip down the hallway.

Bruno sighed before reaching down and plucking the youngest of the group up by the back of their shirts. "Now come on you two. You know Aunt Berta doesn't like us running in the halls."

They both smiled at the larger boy. "We're hungry!" Brady said.

Billy nodded along with him. "Yeah, and we want to see the town!"

Bruno chuckled. "Guess I can't blame you for being excited. C'mon, let's go ear and then we'll hit the town. Can't go scouting on an empty stomach now can we?"

Benjamin snorted. He didn't see how his brothers were so calm about this. Bruno and the twins in particular seemed like the move didn't bother them at all. After a nudge from Brutus, who had still been following behind him the whole time, he put his star shaped headphones on and decided to head downstairs to get something on his stomach. The rest of his brothers followed after him, his music drowning out their conversation.

When they got to the kitchen they were greeted by the sight of their Aunt Berta. She was a woman who looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. She had long black hair tied into a pony tail, and wore a purple blouse and black pants. Her own Tiki patterned tattoos could be seen on her back and arms.

She turned around and set the last plate on the table. "There's my warriors! I made you guys a nice big breakfast for your first day here. I know you're probably tired of having to eat all that fast food crap on the way here." The boys looked over the spread on the table. Eggs, bacon, sausage, and waffles. It had been a while since they'd had a breakfast this big.

"Looks good Aunt Berta."

"Got that right," Beck said sniffing into the air.

"I needed a nice home cooked meal," Bruno said rubbing his hands together.

"Nice way to kick off the day!" the twins said excitedly.

Bruce hummed and nodded.

They all took their seats, but not before each giving their aunt a kiss on the cheek. She took a seat at the head of the table. "So boys, have you finished unpacking yet?"

"Nope."

"Nah-uh."

"No."

She sighed. "Well you better get it done. I don't want you procrastinating until opening day. I want you all settled in and ready to start when the café opens. Understand?" The brothers all nodded, except Benjamin who'd been picking at his food. "Ben? Are you listening?"

He looked up slightly surprised. Then he took his headphones off. "Hmm? Oh yeah. I'll finish unpacking later."

Berta frowned. She knew of all her nephews Benjamin was taking the move the hardest. He had been the one who'd left behind the most in their old town. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He looked up at her and put on his best smile. "It's all good auntie. I'll get over it. You just focus on the opening. We're gonna blow this town away."

Bruno reached over and ruffled his hair. "Good on you little brother! Don't worry, we'll get used to this place in no time," he said happily.

"I hope there's fun stuff to do!" Brady cheered.

"I hope there's weird people to meet!" Billy yelled.

"I hope there's cute girls to date," Beck said.

Berta huffed. "Alright now. I know this is a new place and new kids usually get some attention, but I don't want you running around with any floozy you come across. Your Brittle men, if you bring a girl home I expect her to be a class act. And goes double for you Beck."

"Hey!"

"So, what are you boys planning on doing today?"

"Gonna hit the town and check out what there is to do around here. Maybe meet a few of the locals while we're at it."

"Well, that sounds like fun. Don't stay out too late though. You have to get up early and register for school tomorrow." The boys all groaned. "Oh, and I need one of you to stay behind and help me with making cookies for the neighbors."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Why are you making cookies for the neighbors?"

"Because it's polite. These are going to be our new neighbors, and we want to get off on the right foot. And once they get a sample taste of them they'll be dying to come and eat more at the opening. So, who's gonna be my assistant for the day?"

The boys all looked at each other with a glare. Without saying a word they all threw their fist in the middle of the table. "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" They all chose rock. "Tie go again!" This time it was paper. "Tie, go again!" Scissors. "Tie, go again!"

"Dang it!" Ben shouted angrily. He'd chosen rock while everyone else chose paper.

"Hah! Have fun at home baking!" Beck taunted.

Ben narrowed his eyes at him. "Brutus, get him."

"AH!"

* * *

After his brothers left, Ben and his aunt started working in the kitchen. Since they had spent years living and working with her, they all had some basic baking experience. Ben worked on the batter while his aunt slid another tray into the oven. "How that's batter coming Ben?" He stuck his finger in it before taking a taste. "That wasn't permission to eat it by the way."

He quickly got back to stirring the batter again. "It's fine Auntie."

After she closed the oven and set another timer, she turned around towards him. "Ben, do you want to talk about this whole thing?" she asked.

"Nope," he said bluntly. The less he talked about this the more he could get it out of his mind.

"Well, we're going to anyway," she said leaning on the counter next to him. "Listen, I know that this move wasn't really fair to you boys. Especially you. You left a lot behind, and I understand how frustrating it can be to have to start over in a new place. But I want you to know that I really appreciate how mature you've been about this."

She reached over and patted him on the head. He resisted the urge to push her hand off his hair. "Just try and focus on all the good that can come out of this. You still have your brothers, and you can make a bunch of new friends. I bet you could even start a new band."

He shrugged. "Meh, I'm not worrying about the band right now. Just gonna focus on the café. But you're right. I'll do my best to stop trying to be such a downer."

"That's the spirit. Hey, you might even meet a cute girl," she said nudging him with her elbow.

Ben snorted. While the Brittle brothers had a habit of catching the ladies' eyes, he himself had never had the best luck when it came to the fairer sex. "Yeah, okay. Sure I will."

"Don't doubt the words of Auntie Berta. Now hand me that batter and run down to the store. We need to get a few more bags of chocolate chips since I'm pretty sure the twins were eating them in the car on the way here. I'll go get you some cash."

Ben put the bowl down and made a mental note to strangle the twins later. "Don't sweat about the money Auntie B, it's on me." He made his way out before she could argue with him.

After getting his motorbike from the garage he made his way towards the convenient store he saw a few blocks down when they moved in. He glanced around at the neighborhood as he went by. It was a pretty nice place. It admittedly seemed a lot nicer than their old neighborhood. He might even be able to walk around at night here.

Suddenly he spotted another building as he passed by. It was an arcade. He slowed down slightly, tempted to stop and scope the place house. But then he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. The store, he needed to go to the store.

But… was that Guitar Gladiator?! He hadn't seen one of those in ages. The one they use to have in his arcade back home got shut down. Everyone stopped playing because they couldn't beat his high score. He glanced towards the store, which was right down the street, then at the arcade. Maybe a few minutes wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"I am the Guitar Gladiator King!" Ben shouted lifting his arms into the air.

The crowd behind him cheered loudly as they watched the results of his performance. He'd managed to get yet another perfect score. This was the tenth one in a row. He turned around and soaked in the attention from the strangers cheering him on. It had started off as one or two people, but once they realized he was about to beat the high score, more started gathering.

Whoever that L.L person who had the top spot before was, they were pretty good. He hadn't seen anyone with a score that big back home. But he'd still managed to beat it, even if it was only by a few dozen points. "I don't believe it! I didn't think anyone was going to beat Luna's score! Who is this guy?!" A random teen asked.

"No idea. But he's killing it," Another answered.

Ben bowed towards them all dramatically. It was true he'd been down since he got here, but this was exactly what he needed to lift his spirits. Having people cheer his name as he slayed it on Guitar Gladiator reminded him of being back home. "Thank you, thank you! It was nothing!"

"Nah, it was definitely something dude," he looked up and then saw a girl standing before him. She clapped slowly as she made her way past the crowd and towards him. The crowd gasped and stood back in awe as she approached. Ben raised an eyebrow at her. Who was this chick? "I didn't think anyone would ever beat my high score. You got some serious skills."

He looked slightly surprised. "So I'm guessing your L.L?" he asked.

"Luna Loud," she introduced. "Hardcore rocker, and all around awesome girl."

He smirked. "Ben Brittle. Also a rocker, and the new king of this console," he said patting the machine. "Don't feel too bad. Your old score was nothing to scoff at. I'm pretty sure no one is going to be able to take your number two spot either."

She smirked right back. "Well, I guess my old score was okay. Just hadn't bothered to come back and beat it since I got the game at home and nobody else in town could come close. Then I get a call saying someone totally broke it, and I had to see it myself," she stepped up on top of the stand beside him. "Been a white since I played this head to head with someone. Since your pretty good, how about we have ourselves a little showdown?"

The crowd let started to Ooh as the challenge was thrown down. Ben chuckled. He couldn't remember the last time someone had the guts to play him in this game. "Oh, you want to go head to head? You sure you're ready to lose your top score and get beat one on one by the new kid in the same day?"

"Don't you worry dude, I'll be taking my title and smoking you at the same time," she said as she cracked her knuckles and picked up the second guitar. "Legendary mode?"

"You know it. And since its ladies first, you can pick the song."

"Sure you want to give me the home field advantage?"

"I don't need it."

"Oh, gutsy. Luna likes."

They turned towards the screen and picked their characters. Luna scrolled through the lists of songs and eventually picked one she thought would be fair to both of them. The game began loading and the crowd cheered in anticipation of the upcoming battle. The song began starting up, and Ben got ready to begin his turn.

" _ **Listen up, strap in, notify your next of kin,**_

 _ **You're about to take a ride, a little on the blazing side,**_

 _ **Guzzle down your Red Bull, you're gonna need a bucket full,**_

 _ **You're watching me accelerate and tear apart the interstate.**_ _"_

Ben bobbed his head and moved about as he hit every single note that popped up on screen. He had never heard this song before, but he was still getting hyped.

" _ **A certified monster I'm an absolute trip,**_

 _ **Like Otis Redding, hard to handle so you better get a grip,**_

 _ **A super-fast, superfly, bonafide wise guy.**_

 _ **Call the morgue and say goodbye, write your will; it's time to die.**_ _"_

He turned towards the crowd not even bothering to look at the screen, but still hitting every note. He'd played this game so many times by now he could tell which buttons to hit just by hearing the music itself. He fell to the ground and started head banging, gaining even more applause.

" _ **Caffeine. I'm caffeine.**_

 _ **Caffeine. I'm caffeine.**_

 _ **I'm a bad dream.**_

 _ **I'm a rad scene.**_

 _ **I'm a tad mean.**_

 _ **But I'm not afraid to take you out**_ _._ "

He smirked at Luna as he finished the last part. The crowd was going wild, and only got wilder as Luna began her turn.

" _ **I'm a cheetah on the plains, I'm the highway star,**_

 _ **A supersonic princess in a million dollar car,**_

 _ **Blood on fire pumping through my veins,**_

 _ **Weaving in and out while I'm bolting through the lanes!**_ "

Ben watched as Luna blew through the song every bit as easily as he did. He was glad he'd gotten to play a few more games before she got here. Had he not been able to shake off some of the rust from not playing in so long, he'd be really worried about losing right now.

" _ **I'm hyperdrive, overdrive, hit the gas at fifty-five,**_

 _ **Breakneck, trainwreck, in my presence genuflect,**_

 _ **Track-roundin', speed-a-soundin', 'lectrifyin', pulse-poundin',**_

 _ **Heart-pumpin', brain-thumpin', watch me get the party jumpin'!**_ "

Luna, who'd had her eyes closed, danced around and jumped from side to side. But like Ben, she hadn't missed a single note."

" _ **Caffeine, I'm caffeine.**_

 _ **Caffeine, I'm caffeine.**_

 _ **I'm a bad dream.**_

 _ **I'm a rad scene.**_

 _ **I'm a tad mean.**_

 _ **But I'm not afraid to take you out.**_ **"**

The scores were completely even, and the screen soon lit up with the words tie breaker. Ben and Luna both faced each other as both of their screens started the final segment of the song.

" _ **Yo listen up, I hope you like it hot.**_

 _ **Grab yourself a mug, 'cause I made a fresh pot.**_

 _ **Come and get a dose of my kick-butt java.**_

 _ **Fuelin' your addiction with this thick black lava."**_

The two of them stared off as they focused on keeping up the pace. They both knew one missed note could be what determined the winner here.

" _ **We can do up an espresso, or the cappuccino way.**_

 _ **Sure to get your fix, venti or grande.**_

 _ **Sugar, Splenda, Equal, maybe Sweet'N Low.**_

 _ **Everybody's happy when they hanging with Joe; let's go!**_ "

The both of them put everything they had into the last part. They had both figured neither one was going to miss any notes, so they were desperately hoping to outscore the other in style points.

" _ **Caffeine, I'm caffeine.**_

 _ **Caffeine, I'm caffeine.**_

 _ **I'm a bad dream.**_

 _ **I'm a rad scene.**_

 _ **I'm a tad mean.**_

 _ **But I'm not afraid to take you out."**_

The song to an end, and the both of them were breathing heavily. The crowd was going absolutely insane. They had never seen such a close battle in the arcade before. The two stared each other down for a few more seconds before turning towards the screen. Both their scores had shattered the previous high score and were only going up further.

"New high score!" the game shouted. The points slowly came to a stop, and Ben grew wide eyed when he saw that she had managed to beat him by two points in the style section. "Player 2, you rock! Sorry, but you're done player one!"

Luna threw her hands up in the air and turned towards the crowd before yelling out in victory. "WOOOO! Luna Loud is the queen of the console! Yes!"

Ben kept staring at the screen for a few seconds. He lost. He couldn't even remember the last time he lost at any type of rhythm game. He let out a sigh before turning to Luna. She looked back at him with a smile. "Well Luna Loud, I gotta admit, you were the better rocker. At least for today anyway."

She laughed. "Thanks dude. You got some really sick skills yourself. You ever wanna go for a rematch, I'm always game." She lifted her fist up.

"Oh, you know it. I'm taking that top spot eventually," he said bumping her fist.

"So are you like new in town? I haven't seen you around before."

"Yeah, just moved in with- Oh my god I forgot the chips!" he shouted. He took off for the doors and the convenience store. As he passed through the crowd a few people patted him on the back and congratulated him on the performance. He quickly thanked them all as he rushed out.

Luna smiled as she watched him go. "Catch ya around dude..."

* * *

Ben burst through the door holding a bag full of chocolate chips. He was breathing heavily and sweating all over. His aunt Berta turned and looked at him confused. "I… got the chips," he said in between breaths.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, you were gone for like two hours so I just decided to use M&M's instead." Ben sighed and hung his head. So he'd did all that for nothing. "I would have called you and told you but like I said, you made me wait two hours, so I figured making you run back here was a good punishment. What took you so long?"

Ben leaned against the counter. "Nothing. I just made a quick stop by the arcade. They had a Guitar Gladiator console and I had to play. I just got that rocker rush, you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know how you get with music. So how long much did you take the high score by?" she asked curiously.

He hesitated for a moment. "Huh… yeah, about that…"

Berta looked surprised. "Wait, you didn't beat the high score?"

"Well, yeah, I did. But then the person who had the last score showed up and we went head to head and… I kind of lost."

"You lost to someone in Guitar Gladiators?! I've never seen you lose in that game! This guy must have really been something to go toe to toe with you."

"…it wasn't a guy."

She grew wide eyed. "Wait, you mean…" He scowled and crossed his arms. "AH! You met a girl today! You actually met a girl! A girl who could beat you in Guitar Gladiators! I called it! I said you would meet a girl here and it didn't even take one-"

"Whoa, whoa, time out! All we did was play some Guitar Gladiators-"

"For two hours?" she asked.

"It was only one match! I left after that. It doesn't even come close to qualifying as what you're trying to make it out to be. So just go ahead and drop that crazy idea out of your head."

"What was her name?" she asked.

Ben sighed. She was not going to leave him alone until she got answers. "If I tell you about what happened will you promise not to tell the others about it? The last thing I need is them teasing me all day about this crap."

"I promise. Now spill."

"Her name was Luna Loud…"

* * *

 **A/N: For countless years(three) I have slumbered. But now I have arisen once more! What's up people. I know it's been a long time since I updated anything on this site, but I'd just been so busy with... life. That and writer's block was kicking the crap out of me. But recently I've been really getting into and binge watching the Loud House, and I got the spark again. And this time I have a lot more experience writing too, so hopefully you guys will be willing to come along for this crazy ride.**

 **I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I know this was a little OC heavy, but don't worry. I just wanted to get introductions out of the way early, and the rest of the Loud Family will be making their appearance next chapter. This story is meant to revolve around Ben and Luna. I really like Luna's character. I've always been a sucker for the hardcore rocker types anyhow.  
**

 **So some little details about the chapter. The mention of the tattoos I made when describing their looks was because Brittle family is half Samoan. In the Samoan culture tattoos all have different meaning behind them.**

 **Bruno's sun tattoos represent brilliance and leadership.**

 **Bruce's lizard tattoos represent protection from evil and illness, as well as regrowth and survival from disaster.**

 **Ben's spear tattoos represent courage and fight.**

 **Beck's shell tattoos represent abundance and riches. They can also represent intimacy.**

 **Bertha's tiki tattoos represent a form of protection.**

 **The twins don't have any because the youngest you can get them in Samoan culture is fourteen. But if they did it would be the ocean, which represent Marquesan cross, which represent balance between elements, or harmony.**

 **The song used in the Guitar Gladiator segment was 'Caffeine' by Jeff Williams, Casey Lee Williams, and Lamar Hall. For anyone who watched RWBY(which I highly recommend) you'd know it as the song played during team CFVY's entrance during the breach. RWBY has a lot of awesome rock songs, and you'll probably see more in this fic as well as other shows and cartoons since I couldn't write an original song to save my life.**

 **Alright then, hope you enjoyed! Don't for get to leave a review! I want to know what you guys thought!**


	2. A Day At The Mall

"So this is the Royal Woods mall huh? Not bad," Bruno said whistling. He and the rest of the Brittle brothers made their way through the Royal Woods mall, admiring just how much bigger and more expensive looking than the one back in their old hometown was.

"Not bad? This place puts the mall back home to shame! They have a video game store! And a computer store! And a pet store! We literally don't have to go to twenty different places to get stuff anymore!" Beck said happily. Brutus barked as he walked alongside the group.

Ben looked around for some type of music shop. He'd had to sell a lot of his old stuff since it was taking up room and they could only afford one moving truck. Right now he only had his guitar, keytar, and a few amps. He needed a new drum set, and a new violin, a trumpet. A lot of stuff. "C'mon, where is the music store? I'm gonna go crazy if I don't get to play some more tunes."

Bruce noticed an electronics store and grunted. "Look, they even got a place for Bruce to get his nerd on," Beck said snickering. "Oh! They have a prop store! You think they have trick decks?"

"Who cares about your stupid magic tricks Beck? We need to find the sports store. We gotta stock up on some new gear. We've been saving up so we can get rid of our old junk," Brady said excitedly.

"Do you think we should join the football team, the basketball team, or the baseball team?" Billy asked his twin curiously.

Bruno chuckled. "I thought I saw a sports store on the map a while back. Why don't we split up and grab what we need, then meet at the food court?" he suggested. Bruce nodded before walking towards the electronics store. "C'mon runts, we'll go to the sports store together. I could use some new knee pads anyway." Brutus followed after them.

Beck nudged Ben. "Hey, you come with me to the prop store and I'll help you find the music store?" he offered. Ben thought about it for a moment and then just shrugged. It's not like his brother would need help carrying playing cards. And he could use the extra hands carrying his instruments if he found the place. "Sweet."

They walked into the prop store and Beck immediately led them to the card section. "I still never get this whole card trick thing. It's just some fancy shuffling isn't it?" Ben asked.

Beck sighed. "Dude, you really don't get it. It takes some major sleight of hand and misdirection to be able to pull of card tricks like a pro. I mean saying it's just fancy shuffling is like saying playing guitar is just plucking strings."

Ben grimaced. He could see how that could be a little insulting. "Okay, so maybe it does take some skill. But I still don't get why your so into it."

"Because you can pick up chicks with it," Beck said bluntly as he picked up a deck of black and white bicycle cards. "You wouldn't believe how many girls kept coming back to the café just to see another trick. They use to love the four queens trick."

"Right, and how many of those girls did you actually bother asking out?" Ben asked.

Beck scowled at him. "Shut up! It's not like you've ever had a girlfriend either. And not everyone can be Mr. Velvet voice ladies' man," he complained as he picked up another set of cards. He looked between the two. "Hey, which one do you think I should start off with at the opening, a marked deck, or a rising deck?"

"Is… is there a difference?"

Beck rolled his eyes. "Uh, so hopeless big brother." He got ready to head to the counter and buy both decks, but suddenly stopped. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, cutie alert."

"What?" Ben asked confused.

"Check it out. Smoking hot babe right over there," he said turning his brother around. Ben sighed and looked towards the front of the store. There was a brown haired girl with braces looking at a pair of fake teeth, and beside her was…

"Luna?"

"What?"

Ben couldn't believe it. Purple skirt, brown hair, skull shirt. There was no mistaking that that was the girl from yesterday. What was she doing here in a prop store? It definitely didn't seem like the type of place she'd hang out at. He guessed she was with the other girl. Maybe it was her sister of something.

Beck nudged him. "We should totally go talk to her. You can chat it up with her friend while I try and show the cute one some card tricks."

Ben flinched. If he went over there and they started talking, yesterday's events would definitely be brought up. And when his brothers found out they would either A. Tease him mercilessly about meeting a girl and not telling them, or B. Tease him mercilessly about losing to a girl in Guitar Gladiator (which he himself didn't really have a problem with). Or worse, they'd do both.

None of those options seemed very appealing. "Uh… nah, let's not. They seem like they're busy. Besides, I don't think the rocker chick is really into cards."

Beck raised his eyebrow. "I wasn't talking about the rocker chick, I was talking about the other one. The mega cutie beside her," he said as if it were obvious.

Ben looked slightly surprised. "Wha-?! You mean brace face? You think she's the cute one?"

"Duh. I mean the other one isn't bad looking, but she's a total bombshell. It's not even really a contest," he said looking at the girl with a dreamy stare.

"Uh… okay. To each their own I guess."

Beck suddenly turned towards him looking annoyed. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked slightly offended. "Are you insulting my taste in women?"

Ben raised his hands. "I'm not insulting it… just severely doubting it."

"Oh, and I suppose the wannabe rock star over there is the ideal dream girl."

He blushed slightly at the accusation. He had just met Luna yesterday, but he did think she was kind of cute in the looks department. "I didn't say that. I'm just saying I think when your comparing a punk rock girl to a… whatever that other one is, she comes out on top."

"Oh come on. She's looks the same as any other rocker. But you don't hardly ever see that cute adorkable looking girl anywhere nowadays. And she's even into props and stuff. How can you not appreciate a girl who's into fake teeth and vomit?"

Before Ben could argue, another voice cut in. "Hey dude, didn't think I'd find you here." Ben quickly turned around and saw Luna and the other girl approaching.

He panicked. He was an idiot. He got so caught up in arguing with Beck he forgot to get out of here. "Uh, hey there," he greeted nervously.

Luna raised an eyebrow at him. "You okay dude? You're looking a little shaky."

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm good."

Beck stepped in front of him and cleared his throat. "Sorry about my brother here. He's not much of a talker. Hey there, the name's Beck. This is my brother Ben. We're new in town," he introduced putting on his best smile.

"Yeah, I know. I met him yesterday," Luna said smiling towards him.

"Wait, what?" Beck asked looking at her surprised.

"Yeah. He's a pretty wicked Guitar Gladiator. Almost took the top spot from me."

The older Brittle felt himself starting to sweat as his brother slowly turned and looked at him with a smirk. "Oh, he did huh? That's funny, he didn't mention anything about playing you yesterday. Or about meeting you at all. That's strange. Why wouldn't you mention that big bro?" he asked in a knowing tone.

Ben glared at him. "If you think I won't murder you because there are witnesses here you got another thing coming. I'm willing to serve the jail time."

The girl beside Luna laughed. "Well, looks like you brother is quite the _card_? Get it?" she asked as she held up a pack of playing cards. Luna and Ben both looked at her with deadpanned expressions. They then heard a small chuckle and looked over at Beck, who was trying to stifle a laugh. "See, he gets it." she said elbowing him lightly.

Ben wasn't sure if he seriously found it funny, or if he was just giving her a pity laugh. "Right, anyway this is my little sis Luan. She's got a thing for comedy," Luna explained. "So what are you bros doing here? Buying stuff for the new crib?" she asked.

At this point the cat was out of the bag. Beck was going to tell everyone and they'd demand to know what happened, so there was no point trying get away anymore. He shrugged. "Yeah. We couldn't fit a lot of our old stuff on the truck, so we had to sell it. Now we're kind of restocking. Beck here just had to get some new playing cards."

Luan laughed. "I guess you could say you guys are trying to make a _Full House_ again? Get it?"

Beck once again covered his mouth to keep from bursting out in laugher. Ben raised an eyebrow. "Are… are you serious?"

"Aw, leave your brother alone. He's having a _pun_ time," Luan joked. This time Beck couldn't contain himself and burst out laughing. He knelt over and grabbed his sides. "I like this guy, he appreciates the power of the pun."

Ben and Luna were both at a loss for words. "You know what, I feel like if I question it it'll only lead to more confusion," Ben said shaking his head.

Luna decided to just go with it and turned back to Ben. "So dude, what'd you come here for?"

"Me? Uh, I was just checking to see if they had a music store. I had to sell some of my old instruments and sound equipment so…"

Luna smiled. "You're looking for Rad Rhythms then. That place has everything a real rocker can dream of. We can show you there if you want," she offered.

"Oh, it's cool. You guys are probably busy and-"

Beck elbowed his side, hard. "We would love for you guys to show us," he said quickly. Ben growled at him before punching him in his side. "OW!"

"Hey Luna, seems like they're not _playing with a full deck_. Get it?" Luan asked nudging her sister. Beck, despite the pain in his side laughed once more.

"This is gonna be a long day…"

* * *

On the way to the music shop, Luan kept on telling puns that Beck was practically dying over. Ben couldn't believe that he actually found all the puns funny. Then again, Beck always did have weird taste. The two older siblings had decided to walk a little farther ahead so they wouldn't have to hear the comedy routine going on behind them.

"So, you didn't tell your bros about yesterday huh?" Luna said smirking. "Don't tell me you're embarrassed that you got beat by a girl."

Ben scowled. "Give me a break, I'm not that shallow. It's just my brothers can be really, really annoying and I didn't want to hear their mouth," he said. "That being said, I'm still not planning on taking that loss lying down. I'm gonna get you back Loud."

"Anytime dude," she said bumping him playfully.

"Sounds like you two have a _score_ to settle in Guitar Gladiator. Get it?" Luan called from behind. It was quickly followed by Beck's laughing. Ben and Luna both frowned.

"Walk faster."

They approached the front of the music store and Ben whistled, impressed. "Not bad huh?"

"Puts my old place to shame," Ben admitted. They made their way inside and he looked over everything they had. It had a large music selection, and just about every type of instrument you could think off. "Is that an ocarina? They actually sell ocarinas here?"

"Rad Rhythms sells everything dude. This is where I pick up all my gear. I kind of end up smashing a lot of my axes," Luna said.

Ben laughed. "Wish I could afford to keep smashing my stuff. I barely managed to save up for my last guitar." He looked through the isle of stringed instruments. He came across a violin. He quickly picked it up. "Sweet, just what I was looking for."

"Violin huh? You any good?" Luna asked.

He scoffed. "Are you doubting my violin skills? You insult me," he started to tune the instrument and grabbed the bow next to it. "Doesn't matter what type of instrument it is, I can totally rock it."

"Okay then dude, let's hear it," Luna challenged.

Ben lifted the violin and began playing. He started off very slowly, but soon began to pick up the pace. Luna bobbed her head along with the song. She recognized it as The Rising Sun by CFO$. "Dude, you really can rock the violin. Looks like your skills just aren't on the game huh?"

He stopped and smirked. "Sorry Loud, but I guess you're not the only rock star in Royal Woods anymore," he said pointing to his shirt.

"Well, at least I'll have someone to rock out with now. I mean, if you want to. I got some amps and stuff at my place so if you want to drop by and jam until you get your own stuff it'd be cool," she offered.

He looked a little surprised by the offer. "Oh, wow. Thanks. I'll uh… I'll think about swinging by then," he said as he made his way to the counter. He decided he'd come back for the drum set later when the rest of his brothers were free.

After they were finished the group made their way to the food court. Their brothers hadn't shown up yet, so they decided to sit down and eat with the girls. Ben insisted he and Beck pay for the meal. As they sat and ate, Beck showed off some of his card tricks to Luan, while Ben and Luna just made idle chit-chat.

"Ten?! You have ten siblings? Jesus Christ, I couldn't imagine having one sister, let alone nine," Ben said in disbelief. He could barely deal with his five brothers. Having twice that sounded absolutely insane.

Luna shrugged as she plucked another French fry from his plate. She had finished her meal a while ago and was picking off his, which he didn't seem to mind. "Guess you just get used to it after a while," she said. "You have to, otherwise you're done for."

"And all of your names start with L? Doesn't that get really confusing in school and stuff? I know they were always mixing up me and my brothers with our initials being the same."

"I think the schools used to it by now too." Ben just hummed. "So Ben Brittle, I know how you got so good at Guitar Gladiator, but how'd you get into rock in the first place?" Luna asked.

Ben scratched his head at the question. "Uh… I guess I've just always been into it. My dad used to play some, and he said it used to be the only thing that could get me to stop crying when I was a baby. So whenever I start whining he'd take me to the garage and jam out. Sent me right off to dream land. I guess I just picked it up when I got older."

"Your dad sounds like a pretty righteous dude," she said.

"He was. Died a couple years back," Ben said. Luna frowned, but before she could even start to apologize he held his hand up. "Don't worry about it, it's cool. Not like you knew. Besides, I don't even remember that much about him. I was like, maybe four when he went. Mom was always in and out, and split for good when dad died. Auntie B took us in, and she's been raising us ever since."

Luna gave him a sympathetic look. He was talking about something so sad pretty casually. He could tell she was feeling a little uncomfortable and decided to change the subject. "Well, enough of my life story. What about you? How'd Luna Loud become the rock queen of Royal Woods?"

She smiled as she thought back to the memory. "Back when I was in seventh grade, I went to this Mick Swagger concert. It was the first concert I'd ever been to, and it was totally wicked. I got to go up on stage and jam with the band and everything. When I was up there I just felt that rush, you know?" He nodded. "And right then and there, I knew I was born to rock."

"Wow, you were on stage with Mick Swagger? That's freaking epic," he said impressed.

"Yep. Since then I've just been following the road rock and roll takes me."

They heard clapping and looked over at Beck and Luan. "Those were some pretty cool tricks Beck. So many different ones to. You're like a _Jack_ of all trades."

"Well, I spent a lot of time at the card _Club_ back home."

"Well, I think you're a real _King_ of card tricks."

"Coming from a _Queen_ of comedy that's a real compliment."

Ben banged on the table a few times. "I'm sorry, but that got really old really fast," he said.

Beck scoffed. "Geez, you see what I have to _Deal_ with at home Luan?"

"Beck…"

"I hear ya. When I'm _dealing_ with my sisters I feel like I get _lost in the shuffle_ sometimes."

"Luan…"

"And my between all my brothers I'm considered the real _Wild Card_ of-"

Ben growled. "Beck, I swear to god, if you finish that sentence I'm going to burn every last one of those decks when we get home," he said glaring at his brother. Beck looked at him for a few moments before wisely closing his mouth.

Luan smiled. "Well, looks like he's really _drawing_ the line with his patience. Get it?" Luna glared at her sister. "Sorry, sorry. Had to get that last one in. No more. We're done, promise." She and Beck high fived across the table making their older siblings roll their eyes.

"I feel like we've done something terrible by introducing them…" Ben said shaking his head. Luna nodded in agreement. Suddenly he felt his phone vibrating. He pulled it out and looked over it before sighing. "Crap. Beck, c'mon. We got to go."

Beck stopped in the middle of shuffling his cards and frowned. "What? But why? I was just getting warmed up over here? I thought we were meeting the others here anyway."

"No. Bruno said they already finished up and auntie ordered out, so we're heading straight back to the car," he said getting up. "Sorry guys, but we have to get going. Thanks for showing us around and chatting. Oh, and it was nice meeting you Luan."

Luan waved. "No problem. It was nice to meet you _tat-too_." She said gesturing to their tattoos. "Ha! Get it?" Beck burst out laughing again.

Luna decided to ignore the bad joke. "Alright guys. Thanks for lunch. Maybe we'll catch you around or something. And don't forget, if you ever want to come over and jam, or just chill, you got our numbers. Just call and swing by."

"I'll keep it in mind."

With that the brothers turned and walked off. Beck looked absolutely giddy. "I don't believe it man! Second day here and I'm already hitting it off with a super cute funny girl! This has got to be like a record for a new kid in town or something."

"First of all, you seriously thought she was funny? I mean some of her jokes were, but those puns? Second of all don't you think you're getting kind of ahead of yourself? You told a bunch of card puns together. It's not like this was a real date."

Beck scowled. "Geez man, way to be a total downer. You should be happy. You totally hit it off with Ms. Rock Star back there. You should ask her out or something."

"I'm not asking out a girl I've known for two days. Besides, we need to be focused on the opening. It's going to be busy the first couple days you know. We got to get into the swing of things before spring break ends."

"Yeah, I guess you're right… but you know I'm totally telling everyone right?"

* * *

Ben scowled as the rest of his brothers sat around the table and laughed at him. The only one who wasn't was Bruce who seemed too busy staring at something on his computer. "I don't believe it! You actually got beat by a girl! How lame is that!" Billy shouted.

"That's your favorite game! How did you let some prissy girly girl beat you?!" Brady laughed.

Ben grit his teeth. "Come on now fellas. There's nothing wrong with losing to a girl," Bruno said putting an arm around his shoulder. "He should be happy he found someone who can give him a run for his money. Especially a girl like that. So, when are you bringing her over Romeo?"

"Shut up! It's not like that!"

Beck scoffed. "Really? Because she seemed pretty eager to invite you over. I hit it off with Luan I think, but she really seemed to like you. She was 'Oh Ben, you're so cool and funny and smart, and your tattoos are so awesome'!"

"She didn't say any of that!" Ben snapped.

"Well that's how I remember it."

"Brutus!" The dog jumped up upon hearing his name. "Get him!"

"AH!"

The dog prepared to pounce on the younger sibling until his aunt spoke up. "Alright boys, that's enough," she said. Everyone stopped immediately, even Brutus. They knew when they could afford to push their aunt's limits, and from the tone of her voice just now this was not one of those times. "No more teasing for today. Eat and get some rest. The opening is tomorrow and you all need to be on your A game."

They all nodded and got back to eating. "But you know Ben, if you did want to bring this girl around so the rest of us could meet her I wouldn't be opposed to-"

Ben stood up and grabbed his plate. "Eating in my room."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, there goes chapter two! Hope you guys enjoyed it. I had originally planned for Ben to meet all the sister when he was bringing the cookies they made last chapter to all the neighbors, but I thought I needed to give a little more on the Brittle Brothers personality first. At least showing some of their hobbies and whatnot.**

 **Bruno and the twins are into sports, Bruce works with computers, Beck is into card tricks, and Ben is obviously a rocker. The sisters will all be making a proper appearance next chapter(except maybe Lily. Not sure.)**

 **The song Ben was playing on the Violin is Rising Sun by CFO$. Some of your wrestling fans my know it better as the theme song of Shinsuke Nakamura. I highly suggest checking it out. It's a pretty epic guitar solo.**

 **And now I'll be adressing the reviews!(All two of them). This isn't something I did with my older stories very often, but I feel like people are more willing to give their opinions/advice on the story when they KNOW that it's actually being read. Reviews aren't just a number to me, they're legitimately helpful to help improve the story and gauge how the readers are feeling towards it.**

 **Review Responses**

 **BojackHorseman: I appreciate the kind words man. Hope this story lives up to expectations.**

 **Shadowprove97: I'm glad you brought that up. I have seen 'L is for Love' and Sam is actually going to play a pretty big role in this story. I was honestly pretty hesitant about making this because I didn't think people would respond well to a story where Luna could possibly be with anyone other than Sam, but in the end I decided to just go with it. I'm planning some really interesting chemistry between Luna, Sam, and Ben down the line. Hope you stick around to see it!**


	3. Ben meets The Loud Sisters

The alarm went off, and Ben let out a groan of displeasure. He reached over and turned off his clock before trying to drift back off to sleep. Then he gasped as he suddenly felt something heavy drop on top of his chest. Brutus was standing on top of him, panting excitedly. Ben sighed before turning over on his side. "Let me sleep Brutus…"

Brutus barked before licking his face. "Blah!" He tried to push him away, but the animal didn't even budge. "Ah! Brutus, knock it off! I'm trying to sleep!" Brutus reached down and grabbed his pants leg in his teeth before dragging him out of bed and towards the door. "Okay! Alright dang it! I'm up! God!"

After managing to pull himself free he reluctantly got up and made his way downstairs. His aunt and Bruce were already standing in front of the stove working on breakfast. "I see Brutus got you up," she said not even having to turn around to know it was him.

"You know, you could feed him in the morning. That way he wouldn't be dragging me out of bed every freaking day," Ben said as he walked over and grabbed the bag of dog food. He poured some into Brutus' bowl and the dog quickly began devouring his meal.

Berta shrugged. "He likes you to feed him. Besides, it's like your own personal alarm clock."

"I already have an alarm clock, and I hate that one. I don't need this big lug jumping on me too," he said as he walked over and grabbed the first place form Bruce before starting to set the table. This was a pretty normal routine. Brutus drags him out of bed, he feeds Brutus, and he starts helping his aunt and brother with breakfast. "Thanks." Bruce just nodded.

"So, plans for today?" Berta asked.

Ben stopped for a second, hesitant. "None," he answered casually.

Berta sighed. "You know, when I heard you were actually making friends I hoped you would actually hang out with them. I don't want you turning into a shut-in like you were back home."

He grunted. "I wouldn't classify two girls I've known for a few days as friends. They're acquaintances, at best." It had been a few days since their trip to the mall, and while he hadn't seen Luna in person, they'd texted back and forth a little. Mostly about their favorites bands and songs.

"Well if you bothered to hang out more maybe they could be friends. Seriously kid, you need to be more sociable. It's not good to be so closed off to everyone." Ben sighed. Here it was. His aunt's famous speech about how he needed to make more friends and open up. It wasn't like he didn't want to make friends, he just… wasn't very good at it.

He and Bruce were never the most sociable of the Brittle brothers. But whereas Bruce usually just hung out with Bruno and his friends, Ben tended spend a lot of time by himself.

It was part of the reason he was so bummed about the move. It was bad enough losing the few friends he had, and he wasn't sure he would be able to make new ones. "Look, I'll try to get out more okay? Can we drop this now?" His aunt opened her mouth to speak again, but suddenly they heard footsteps.

"Breakfast!"

"Man that smells good!"

"Food! Thanks Bruce!"

The rest of the Brittle brothers suddenly made their way into the kitchen. Ben scoffed. The minute his brothers smelled food they came running. Scavengers.

Once the table was set and everyone was seated, the normal morning chaos ensued. The twins start flinging food at each other. Bruno tried in vain to stop them. Beck encouraged them, getting a kick out of the scene. Bruce and Ben did their best to stay out of it, blocking any incoming food thrown their way. Berta just calmly ate her meal, as if she didn't even notice. If things got too out of hand she knew she could stop them with a word.

After things died down a little the brothers started to chat. "Hey guys, what kind of card trick should I open up with during the opening? I'm thinking the Biddle trick? That'd be cool right?"

"I don't know man. Does it matter? As long as you woo them who cares?" Billy asked confused.

"Of course it matters. I want to make a really good impression. We're gonna be serving the people in this town for who knows how long," Beck said as he suddenly pulled a deck out of thin air. "Plus if Luan shows up I want to impress her."

"Beck, no cards at the table," Berta said.

"You really have a thing for this Luan girl huh? You haven't stopped talking about her. Is she really that good looking?" Bruno asked.

Beck sighed. "Oh yeah. And she's funny too. I almost busted a gut. You could say she's a real _Joker_ ," he said smirking. His brothers groaned. Beck had always had a thing for card puns, but he'd been into overdrive since meeting Luan. "Oh come on, that was funny!"

"No! No it wasn't! And if you make one more card pun I'm gonna stab you!" Ben threatened.

"Really? But my puns are so _Egg-cellent_ ," he said holding up a forkful of eggs. Ben started to get up but Beck raised his hands. "Ah! You said card puns! That was a breakfast pun!"

Bruno smacked him in the back of the head. "No more puns! Period!" Ben gave his elder brother a thankful look, then felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and glanced the text message on the screen.

 _Luna: Yo dude, I know you're short on musical gear, so I wanted to let you know I got a few amps lying around that my dad says I need to get rid of. They're still working and stuff, I just have too many. You should swing by a pick some up. Free of charge bro. :)_

He hummed. She was literally just giving away free stuff. Well, he couldn't turn that down. "Oh, someone got a text!" Before he knew it Ben's phone was snatched from his hand.

"Hey!"

Beck looked over the text and smiled. "Oh-ho-ho! Looks at this! An invite to the house! You haven't even been on the first date and she wants you to meet the folks!"

Ben growled. "Beck, give me my phone back!" He reached over to take it, but Beck threw it over to the twins. Brady caught it and he and his twin read over it.

"She even put a smiley face at the end! That's so romantic!" he teased.

"Dang it, give me that back!"

They threw it over to Bruno who smiled as he read over it himself. "Way to go little brother! I'd have figured you'd be the last one to get a girlfriend here!"

Bruno tossed it again, but instead of going to Beck as he intended, Bruce raised his long arm out and snatched it from midair. He reached across the table and handed it back to Ben. "Thanks…" he said taking the phone back. Bruce nodded. Ben glared at the others. "That's why he's the favorite brother, you jerkwads."

"Oh come on. We're just teasing you bro," Bruno said. "Look, we'll tag along and help you carry the stuff back. And we won't tease or make jokes or anything."

"We will," Brady and Billy said in sync.

"No. You're not going anywhere near that house. I only need two amps, and they don't need to be that big. I can carry them by myself," he said bitterly.

"Well, I'm coming. I want to see Luan-"

"I'll sick Brutus on you if you try," he said dangerously. Brutus stuck his head up from his food bowl, looking eager to pounce on someone. "You're the last person I want going near there. You're going to try and stay and put on a freaking card show. I just need to get the amps and get out. That's it."

Beck looked offended. "Why I would never… okay, yeah, I totally would," he admitted.

"Alright then. If you want to go by yourself that's fine. But if you need any help just let us know," Bruno offered.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said glancing back down at his phone.

 _Ben: Sweet, I'll swing by to pick them up later. C ya._

* * *

Ben glanced down at the address he was sent from Luna. 1216 Franklin Avenue, Royal Woods. Yep, this was the right place. The Loud house. He looked up at the house and was… how could he put it nicely? He didn't expect such a large family to live in such a dump. The place looked like it was going to fall over from a light breeze.

Before he could make his way towards the door however, something dashed towards him from the side. It was a small little pit bull puppy. Ben raised an eyebrow as the dog approached him, a suspicious look in its eyes. It started walking around him and sniffing him. He knew the animal was just checking out a new face. Brutus did it all the time with strangers.

Ben knelt down and he dog quickly looked up and growled at him. "Yeah, okay tough guy," he said before he began scratching him behind the ears. The dog looked like it was going to bite at him, but as soon as he started scratching it practically melted. It rolled over onto its side and one of its legs began shaking. "Uh-huh. Brutus likes being scratched behind the ears too."

"Hey, what're you doing to Charles?"

He looked up and then saw a small blonde pigtailed girl wearing a red cap and overalls. She was covered in mud and holding a frog in her hands. He stood back up, and the dog got back up and started jumping on his leg, as if demanding more scratching. Figures, he went from the suspicious stranger to best friend with a few scratches behind the ear.

"I wasn't doing anything to him. He ran up to sniff me so I scratched him behind the ears. He didn't seem to mind," he explained.

The girl eyed him closely. "Yeah well, I'm watching you buddy," she said warningly. He had to chock back a laugh. A little girl half his size was trying to threaten him. That was adorable. "Who are you anyway mister?"

"Name's Ben. I'm here to see Luna. She's giving me some stuff I need to pick up," he said. "Are you one of her sisters?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm Lana."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Lana. Would you mind letting your big sis know I'm here."

The blonde gave him one last curious look before turning towards house. She ran inside, going in through the dog door. Ben raised an eyebrow. She was definitely a weird one. Not that he was one to talk. He felt something press against his leg and looked back down at Charles. "Alright little guy, fine." He bent down and continued scratching him behind the ear.

A few minutes later the door opened and Luna stepped out. "Sorry dude, I was jamming out in my room. Didn't hear the doorbell."

"Didn't ring it. Your little guard dog here cut me off before I could even get to the porch," he said rubbing Charles' belly. "Took a bribe real easy though. Might want some better security."

"Man, we are the security."

Ben chuckled, and then noticed Lana staring at him from behind Luna's leg. "Am I scaring you pipsqueak?" he asked slightly amused.

Lana pouted. "I'm not a pipsqueak! And I'm not scared! I just… don't know you."

"Well you're not gonna get to know me all the way over there now are you?" he asked as he made his way towards the door. Lana grew wide eyed before turning around and running back into the house. Ben watched her run, and then looked at Luna confused. "Did I… do something wrong?"

Luna looked at him amused. "Nah, I think she likes you actually," she said confusing him even further. "C'mon, the amps are upstairs… did you bring a something to wheel them back or…"

"I can carry them. I just need two."

Luna gave him a looked that he'd swear he'd seen from his aunt before. "If you say so bro." She led him into the house, and it was surprisingly silent. "My sisters are all doing their own thing in their rooms right now. But I gotta warn you, they're super energetic man. You better brace yourself to face the crazy."

"I don't think they can be any worse than my brothers," Ben said.

Luna smirked. "Wanna put twenty bucks on it?"

He smirked back, but before he could answer someone shouted out, "Heads up!"

Ben ducked right before a football flew by his head. He looked up at the top of the stairs and saw a brown haired girl looking down at them. "Lynn!" Luna said glaring at the girl. "You almost took his head off!"

The girl laughed nervously. "Hey, I said heads up. Nice reaction time by the way," she said giving him a thumbs up. "So… who are you?"

Luna sighed. "This is my friend and fellow rocker Ben. Ben, this is my little sis Lynn."

"Oh, cool. Nice to meet you," Lynn said before jumping down the stairs. She walked up to him and stared at his arms. "Whoa, sick tattoos. Where'd you get them? I thought the tattoo place didn't serve anyone under eighteen without a parent."

Ignoring why someone who couldn't be older than thirteen would even know that, Ben explained. "I didn't go to a shop. My aunt put these on me. It's a cultural thing," he said running his hands over his arm. "I'm Samoan, and when we turn fourteen we can get them as a part of our tradition. It's like a mark of maturity."

"Cool…" Lynn said. "Could your aunt give me some?"

Ben scratched his head. "Uh… I'm not sure. I mean I guess she wouldn't mind if your parents were cool with it, but it's really painful. They're not like regular tattoos. They're chiseled in your skin with a sea shell. It hurts a lot and it takes days, weeks sometimes."

"Hardcore! I definitely want some now!"

Oh crap, he'd just encouraged a kid to get tattoos. This was not going well. "Like he said, gotta clear it with mom and dad first little sis," Luna said ruffling her younger sister's hair. Lynn pouted. "Now we gotta go grab some stuff. Try not to take anyone's head off Lynnster."

Luna made her way up the stairs and Ben gave Lynn a wave before following her up. They headed straight towards her room, and he noticed Lana peeking out of one of the rooms and staring at him. When he made his way inside he saw Luan sitting on her bed and scribbling something down in a notebook.

"Hey Luan."

She looked up and smiled at him. "Hey Ben, how you doing? Are you-?"

"Please, please no more puns. Beck has been doing nothing but spitting out puns. I don't think I can handle another one. I'm begging you," he pleaded.

Luan pouted. "Aw, you're no fun," she said going back to writing down some new jokes.

Luna laughed before turning towards two amps she had sitting next to her bed. "These are it dude. Already tested them to make sure they're working. You sure you don't need any help with them?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, I got this." Luna just shrugged as he walked over and grabbed both the amps. He heaved them up, one under each arm. Okay, so they were a little heavier than he expected. But he could still do this. He took a step and stumbled to the side. Luna quickly moved forward and helped him balance himself. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Uh… thanks…"

"You need help dude. You can't walk home like this," she said simply.

"I don't live that far-"

Luna held her hand up cutting him off. "Look, you can stop the whole macho guy thing. I'll just ask my big sis to give us a ride. C'mon."

He sighed. He got the feeling that he wasn't going to convince her otherwise. "Alright." He reluctantly followed after her, Luan giggling as the two left. They walked down the hall and Ben once against noticed Lana staring at him. This time however there was a very identical girl with a tiara next to her. They were whispering to each other. "Uh, should I be worried?"

The girl wearing the tiara stepped out of the room and walked towards them. "What's up Lola?" Luna asked looking down at the girl.

The blonde ignored her and stared at Ben. She circled around him, looking him up and down. "Hmm… I guess she could do worst."

Ben looked at Luna in utter confusion. She just smirked and shrugged, apparently amused by this whole situation. She turned around and headed back to her room, closing the door behind her. "So this is the house guest Lynn mentioned." Ben and Luna jumped in shock and then turned to see another girl standing near them.

She was dressed in all black and her bangs were covering her eyes. Ben could only describe this girl as dark. "Lucy! Don't do that!"

"I didn't do anything," the girl pointed out. "I was here the whole time." Luna sighed and ran a hand through her hair while Ben looked confused. Had she really been here the entire time? How had he not noticed her? "I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you," she deadpanned.

"Uh… hey Lucy, I'm Ben. It's nice to meet you too," he said shaking her hand. She pulled his arm forward and looked over his tattoos. "Okay, so the Loud sisters dig tattoos apparently," he muttered.

"I like these designs. Do these represent the never ending chains of modern society holding down our generation's hopes and dreams?" she asked.

He stared at the girl for a few moments. "…no. They're spears. They represent courage and fight," he explained.

"Oh… well, it's still a nice design."

He was about to thank her when suddenly another door burst opened. A brown haired girl with glasses came out carrying a box. Ben couldn't tell what was in it, but whatever it was clearly was trying to get out. He could hear scratching and growling coming from it. "Back! Everybody back! I need to get to the basement and dispose of this immediately!" she shouted as she made her way towards the stairs.

Ben looked slightly concerned, but the rest of the sister's didn't seemed worried. "Hey Lisa, this is my new friend Ben," Luna said casually. "This is my sister Lisa. She's kind of a genius."

The girl stopped for a moment, adjusting her glasses before turning to him. "Salutations Benjamin. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And just for the record, I am not 'kind of' a genius. I have an IQ well over 200. I'd like to think I'm a certified genius."

Ben hummed. "Not gonna argue with you there. And you can just call me Ben by the way," he said trying not to let how confused he was by all this going around him show on his face. "So, and I'm really afraid I'm going to regret asking this, what's in the box?"

"Nothing that concerns you I assure. I just advise you stay out of the basement for the remainder of your visit. In the event that there is a breach I will sound the alarm and Luna can show you the nearest evacuation route."

"Evacuation routes?"

"Poo poo!"

Ben looked down and saw a baby smiling up at him. "Well hey there little dudette," Luna said picking her up. "This is Lily… ugh, she needs to be changed."

"Poo poo!" Lily cheered.

Ben sniffed for a moment before gasping and covering his nose. What did this little kid eat? She smelled like nuclear… he glanced towards Lisa. "I can already tell what you're thinking with that look, and I assure you you're wrong… mostly," the genius answered as she continued to make her way down the stairs.

Another door opened and this time it was a white haired boy that came out. He was in his underwear and had a comic in his hand. "Come on! Can't a guy get some peace and quiet around here!" he shouted angrily. He glared around at his sisters before finally seeing Ben. His eyes widened.

"That's Lincoln," Luna said pointing to him. "He likes reading comics in his underwear."

"Luna! You didn't say we had people over! Give a guy a warning!" Lincoln shouted before hiding himself behind the door.

Ben kept staring before slowly reaching into his pocket and pulling out twenty dollars. He handed it to Luna. "You sure dude, you haven't even met the rest of my sisters yet?" she said smirking.

"Just take it."

She laughed before leading him towards the last door. "Alright dude, brace yourself. This is Lori and Leni's room. Leni is cool, but Lori can be a little… you'll see." She knocked on the door. "Yo sis, open up. I need a favor."

A few seconds passed before the door suddenly opened. There were two blondes before him. The first, the one who had opened the door, had short hair and a blue tank top. The other, who was sitting on her bed sewing something, had long hair and wore a pair of white sunglasses. "What do you want?" the short haired one asked sighing.

"I need a ride," Luna said simply.

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"Texting Bobby."

Luna frowned. "Aw, c'mon Lori! I seriously need a ride. Look, I'll do the laundry for this week. That's a fair trade right?"

Lori was about answer before she noticed Ben standing behind her. "Oh, you've got a guy with you huh? Well why didn't you say so?" she said smirking. "So where am I dropping you two off? The movies? Dinner?"

Luna looked annoyed while Ben turned red. The other blonde girl looked up at him curiously. "Wow, he's cute. Nice catch Luna," she said smiling at him.

The rocker groaned. "It's not like that Leni. He's just picking up some gear and we can't carry it all the way back to his house. So give me a break already."

Lori rolled her eyes. "Ugh, okay fine. Since your little boyfriend needs help I'll give you a lift. But you owe me one."

"Uh, not her boyfriend. Just pointing that out," Ben stated.

"You sound a little offended by that. You saying there's something wrong with being my sister's boyfriend?" Lori asked raising an eyebrow at him.

Ben panicked and was about to speak, but Luna covered his mouth with her hand. "She's just trying to mess with you dude. Don't fall for it."

Lori laughed as he made her way out of the room, texting all the while. "Aw, you are literally no fun. Well, c'mon. The sooner I'm done getting you out of here the sooner I can get back to focusing on my Bobby boo-boo bear."

Ben looked after her. "Who bear?"

"It's so much easier if you don't ask dude," Luna said pulling him along.

"I feel like I owe you another twenty dollars…"

* * *

 **A/N: Alright! Chapter three is done. I wanted this one to focus on introducing the rest of the Loud Siblings. I had a really hard time thinking about how I was going to get this done. At first I thought about having all the Loud and Brittle siblings meet at once, but that would've just been too chaotic. So I just had Ben meet them for the time being, and the others will be casually introduced later.**

 **I also kept the descriptions of the Loud siblings short and sweet. I mean, if you're reading this you already know them, so I didn't want to bore you with descriptions that you already knew. Just one or two things Ben could easily identify and separate them by.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! Now time for Reviewer Responses.**

 **Rsizzle34: Thanks! I've always been a big fan of using OC's. It's always fun to incorporate created characters into a well known world. I hope I'm going a good job making them seem real. I think I'm pretty experience at writing OC's by now, but I don't want to end up making any Gary sues.**

 **gasdft: Oh yes, it's going to be really complicated with Luna and Sam. At this point Luna hasn't told any of her family about her crush on Sam, but that drama will be saved for later. For now I'm going to focus on Luna and Ben's friendship, this it'll move on to something more as the story goes on.**

 **See ya!**


	4. Loud sisters meet Brittle brothers

Ben sat awkwardly in the Loud family vehicle, which he'd heard the sisters call Vanzilla, and tried not to show how nervous he was. He thought when Lori gave them it ride it would just be him and Luna. But for some reason Luan wanted to tag along too. Then Lynn and Lucy said they wanted to go, and then Lana for some reason. So now here he was riding with half the Loud sisters.

Luna sat beside him bobbing her head as she listened to her headphones. Lana was sitting behind him, just staring at him strangely. Luan looking through a notebook of jokes, she had said something about asking his brother about her routine. Lucy and Lynn were talking about tattoos, which was making him a bit worried. The last thing he wanted with their parents holding a grudge against him for getting their daughters to ask for tattoos.

The car started to slow down. "This is the address. Are you sure we're in the right place?" Lori asked curiously. They were outside of his house, which was also the café.

He looked out of the window. "Yep, this is the place," he said.

"You live in a café dude?" Luna asked pulling down her headphones.

He nodded. "It's my aunt's place. But me and my bros help her out all the time. Gotta earn our keep, you know?" he said making his way out of the car. "Well, thanks for the ride. I'll see you guys later."

"What? But we wanna ask your aunt about the tattoos!" Lynn said as Lucy nodded beside her.

"Yeah, and I wanted to ask Beck about my routine!" Luan said.

"I do kind of want to check this place out. This would be a cute spot for me and boo-boo bear to hang out at some time," Lori said looking over the building.

"I wanna donut!" Lana shouted.

Ben scratched his head. The place wasn't open yet, and he wasn't even sure Beck was home. But it would be pretty rude to just turn them away after they just gave him a ride. He guessed he could at least invite them in for something to drink. Suddenly he felt something tackle him from behind, knocking him to the ground.

Brutus jumped on Ben's back and started licking him in the back of the head. "Brutus! Down! I said down! Stop it, get off me you mutt!" he tried to push Brutus off of him, but the Great Dane didn't budge.

The girls watched as the dog manhandled the boy before them. "Whoa, he's big," Lana said wide eyed. Brutus suddenly looked up from Ben and towards the Loud sister. "Uh-oh." Brutus ran over and began sniffing at Lana. After a few seconds he licked her face, nearly knocking the girl over. "Ha, that's so gross!" she laughed.

Brutus moved from one sister to the next, sniffing the unfamiliar scents before giving them a lick of approval. "Ew! That's disgusting!" Lori said wiping her face.

Luan laughed as she patted the dogs head. "He's really friendly huh?"

"And way more active than Charles," Lynn pointed out.

"Too active," Ben said pushing himself off the ground. Brutus turned back towards him and got ready to pounce on him one more. "Sit down!" Ben said sternly. The dog stopped and then sat, still panting happily. "Sorry about him. Brutus just gets… excited."

"No worries dude. We don't mind," Luna said.

"I mind! I'm covered in dog slobber!" Lori complained.

Luna rolled her eyes as she made her way to the trunk. "It's not like you haven't been covered in worse," she said as she picked up one of the amps.

Ben grabbed the other and the group made their way inside. "Okay, just a heads up. My brothers are weird… like really weird. I mean separately we're kind of tolerable, but together we're one huge mess. So brace yourselves."

"C'mon dude, you just met my family. How weird could they be?" Luna said.

They walked through the doors and saw the Brittle brothers gathered around a table in the middle of the room. Bruce and the twins were standing around the table, while Bruno and Beck sat and were each chugging a two liter of soda.

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" the twins cheered.

"Good god…" Ben said shaking his head. His aunt must have been busy, or just not in the mood to put a stop to this nonsense. He set the amp down and walked over, the rest of the Loud sisters following behind him.

As they got near Beck glanced off to the side. He noticed his brother and then Luan. Suddenly he grew wide eyed and choked, spitting the soda out on Bruno. The eldest brother didn't seem mad however. He just finished his soda and slammed his hands on the table before he got up and cheered. "Hell yeah! I win! I told you I could drink a whole two liter first!"

Bruce walked over and raised Bruno's hand in victory, and the twins ran over and began taking turns drinking the rest of Beck's soda.

Beck quickly wiped his face and turned towards Luan with a smile. "H-hey Luan. What's up? How's it going? I was just… having a drink."

Luan giggled. "You sure? Looked like you were having a contest. And you kind of _choked_. Get it?" she said. The Loud sisters all groaned while Beck burst out laughing. The rest of his brothers looked at him confused.

Ben rolled his eyes. "And here we go…"

Bruno stood up and looked over the sisters. "So, you guys are the Loud sisters huh? I'm gonna guess with the way you made Beck crack up over here that you're Luan. And you seem like a total rocker, so you must be Luna," he guessed.

"You are correct sir," Luan said nodding.

"Right on dude," Luna confirmed.

"Which means the rest of you must be their sisters. It's nice to meet you all. I'm Bruno, and these are my brothers. Bruce…"

Bruce offered a shy wave.

"…Beck…"

"What's up?" Beck said smirking.

"… and the twins Billy and Brady."

The twins both blew raspberries at the girls. Bruno grabbed them by the back of their shirts and lifted them up. "Hey, remember what auntie said. Be polite in front of guests." They both pouted at him, but settled down.

Lynn hummed. "So I guess we're not the only family with the whole naming thing going on."

Lori gestured to the Loud sisters. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Lori, and this is Lynn, Lucy, and Lana. Try to learn all our names now or else you'll be literally done for when you meet the others," she said.

"I think we can manage," Bruno assured. "So I'm guessing you gave Ben a ride home. Thanks. Knowing him he probably tried to carry those things home by himself right?"

Luna covered her mouth to keep from laughing while Ben blushed and scowled. Lori flipped her hair. "Oh, it's literally no problem. I know how little siblings can be. Couldn't let him walk all the way back on his own."

"You didn't even want to give him a ride…" Luna muttered. Lori glared towards her.

Ben got ready to cut this little introduction short, but suddenly another voice cut in. "Oh my god! You actually brought them here!" They all turned and saw Berta standing in the kitchen door. "I don't believe it! You brought them here!"

The girls looked worried for a moment. Were they not supposed to be here? "Ma'am, sorry if we're-"

"Ben brought friends home! And six of them at that! I thought you'd only hit it off with the rocker girl! I never thought I'd see the day!" Berta cheered.

His brothers burst out in laughter while the girls looked confused. Ben flushed in embarrassment. "C'mon auntie! Don't go saying stuff like that! You're making it sound like I'm some friendless shut-in!" he shouted.

"You pretty much are bro," Beck teased.

Ben punched him in his side. "Shut up you moron!"

Beck growled and tackled his elder brother to the floor. "Yay! Fight!" The twins quickly jumped into the brawl, and the four of them began punching, kicking, and biting at one another. Brutus suddenly ran over and jumped into the commotion, pouncing and slobbering over the group.

"That's our aunt," Bruno introduced casually.

The woman seemed to ignore both the commotion and confusion. "Come, come sit down! I'll whip something up for everyone! Bruce, go grab some of the menus for them!" she said excitedly. Bruce grunted before following her to the kitchen.

Luna hummed as she turned back to the remaining brothers. Bruno was just smiling casually while the others continued their slug fest. "I might have to give him that twenty dollars back…"

* * *

The wait for the food had been… entertaining? Lynn and Lucy had asked Berta about the tattoos, which she said she'd be happy to give them so long as they're parents said yes and they remembered the cultural meanings behind them. Beck showed off a few card tricks and Luan went over some of her new routine which everyone seemed impressed by.

The twins had ended up taunting Lynn after finding out she was going out for the basketball team this year, saying a girl couldn't play basketball. Then they were both thoroughly beaten by her in arm wrestling, which they were still steaming about.

After Berta finished with all the deserts the girls had asked for, and Bruno easily separated the four youngest Brittle brothers, they gathered around a table and enjoyed their meals.

Lori moaned in satisfaction. "This is literally the most delicious thing I've ever tasted," she said in pure bliss. "What did you call this?"

Berta smiled proudly. "It's a Samoan Brownie Parfait with salted caramel."

Lori pulled her phone out and snapped a picture. "I'm totally sending this to everyone."

"And these are called Muddy Buddies? My kind of snack," Lana said shoving another handful of the chocolates into his mouth.

"This Frozen Pie is so good it almost makes me want to smile," Lucy deadpanned.

"You get to live here and eat stuff like this. That sounds like one _sweet_ deal. Get it?" Luan asked. Her sisters groaned while the brothers, save Beck, slammed their heads on the table. "Oh c'mon, it was funny!"

"These are all really good. When this place opens you guys are gonna be packed," Lynn said before eating another cookie.

Berta chuckled. "Well, those really aren't the best we have. Just something I whipped up. If you really want to taste something great come back when Bruce or Ben are cooking. They're both auntie's little baker's around here."

Luna smiled towards Ben. "You bake?"

Ben shoved Brutus' head away from his plate before he looked away nervously. "Yeah, sometimes. I mean I'm okay. Bruce is the best out of all of us but sometimes he's on DJ duty so, you know."

Bruno put an arm around his shoulder. "Oh don't be modest. You're just as good in the kitchen as Bruce is. We just swap them out between the kitchen and the stage whenever they're not on waiter duty. Pretty obvious which ones he likes better though. Ben practically lives on that stage. Used to be a part of a band you know," his brother said gesturing towards the stage.

"Wait, you mean you actually get to play in front of people? Like a live audience?" Luna asked looking excited. "Dude, that is totally wicked!"

Ben looked a little embarrassed. "Well, it's not like I can do much now. Bandmates are back home and I'm pretty much rolling solo now-"

"You've performed solo before," Beck said smirking.

He glared towards his brothers, as if visually telling them he was going to stab the next person who opened their mouth. Why the heck were they trying to put him in the spotlight right now? Why couldn't they just let them eat their freaking desert and shut up? "Can you play something?" Lana suddenly asked.

Ben looked at her surprised. "What?"

Lana looked down at her feet shyly while Luna spoke up. "Play something dude," she repeated. "You could show us what you got and break in the new amps while your ate it." The rest of the girls seemed to agree.

He could feel himself starting to blush slightly. "Uh, I don't know…"

Beck patted him on the back. "Oh come on big bro. It could be a warm up for opening day. You got a few solo songs written up anyway right?"

Ben narrowed his eyes at him. He was going to get him back for this. "Fine. Hold on a sec." He got up and headed upstairs to go grab his guitar. When he got back he saw that Bruno and Beck had already set up the stage for him.

"Just lending you a hand bro," Bruno said smirking.

"Shut up…" He plugged in his guitar and stood at the front of the stage. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so nervous. He'd performed in front of much bigger audiences before. For some reason however he felt hesitant performing in front of the Loud sister's. Especially Luna. The way she was staring at him right unnerved him. He sighed. "Any request?"

"Let's hear one of your songs dude," Luna said. "I want to hear what a Brittle brother original sounds like."

Right, one of his. He thought for a moment and then smirked as he got ready to play. "This one goes out to the girl I'm gonna beat in Guitar Gladiators," he said pointing at Luna. She smirked back at him as he began.

" _ **Switchblade, do what I got to,**_

 _ **Vacate, coming right at you,**_

 _ **Slow down, before you take your last step!**_

 _ **This is a test of the; bumps 'n' bruises,**_

 _ **You know you get used to!**_

 _ **I choose to run with my whole crew!**_

 _ **Lock down, it's gonna be a blackout!**_

 _ **Now it's your turn, let me hear you shout!**_

 _ **Yeah!**_

 _ **Yeah!"**_

The moment Ben had begun playing he'd seemed to completely forget about his nervousness. It was like he'd completely blocked out everything that wasn't on the stage.

 _ **I'm gonna teach you, class in session!**_

 _ **It's a long rope, like a flexi-fall!**_

 _ **Above ground, do the things you used to!"**_

 _ **'Cause if you could live like me,**_

 _ **Underground, lonely sights and lonely sounds,**_

 _ **Could you fight the darkness, all around?**_

 _ **No way up and all ways down!**_

 _ **For me this is the only game in town!**_

At this point Ben had seemed back in his own little world. Not unlike when he'd played against Luna the other day. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the music, and the rocker of the Loud family herself was holding her hands out and bobbing her head with the music.

" _ **Action, everything is set to,**_

 _ **explode, cause now it seems you got to!**_

 _ **Reload, it's time to go solo,**_

 _ **Hey duck! This place is gonna blow!**_

 _ **Chucked down, you're covered in dirt and,**_

 _ **stay down, trouble is you're hurt now!**_

 _ **You're back, this is what it's all about!**_

 _ **Now it's your turn, let me hear you shout,**_

 _ **Yeah!**_

 _ **yeah!**_

 _ **I'm gonna teach you, class in session,**_

 _ **It's a long rope, like a flexi-fall,**_

 _ **Above ground, do the things you used to!"**_

 _ **'Cause if you could live like me!**_

 _ **Underground, lonely sights and lonely sounds,**_

 _ **Could you fight the darkness, all around!**_

 _ **No way up and all ways down!**_

 _ **For me this is the only game in town!"**_

Ben moved around on the stage now totally absorbed in his performance. He stomped his foot down singing into the mic as loudly as he could.

" _ **Do you want this?**_

 _ **Break it down now!**_

 _ **Can you feel this?**_

 _ **This is how we groove now!**_

 _ **Can you live this?**_

 _ **This is what we fly now!**_

 _ **This is how we got it going!"**_

 _ **Could you live like me?**_

 _ **Underground, lonely sights and lonely sounds,**_

 _ **Could you fight the darkness, all around,**_

 _ **No way up and all ways down,**_

 _ **For me this is the only game in town!"**_

Ben panted as he finished the song, a wide smile on his face. He took a few breaths and then looked up at the others. They began clapping. "Dude, that was totally awesome!" Luna said shooting out of her seat. "You wrote that song?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, just something I threw together on the way up here. Nothing special."

"It was amazing!" Lana said. "I haven't heard anyone that good except Luna!"

"Yeah, you really _rocked_ the house with that performance!" Luan joked.

"Show off…" Beck mumbled scowling.

Luna quickly ran up to him, looking excited. "Bro, you blew the house down! You play like that in front of a packed crowd and they'll be cheering you on till their faces are blue!" she shouted. Suddenly she gasped. "Oh! Wicked idea! We should totally start a band!"

Ben looked at her surprised. "What?"

"Yeah man! Just imagine it!" she said putting an arm around his shoulder. She gestured forward towards some seemingly invisible crowd. "Ben Brittle and Luna Loud, jamming side by side on the big stage! The crowds yelling out names! I bet we could find some other bandmates at school too! We could end up being the biggest thing to come out of Royal Woods!"

Ben scratched his head. "Seriously? You really want to start a band. I mean I guess I don't have anything else to do here but-"

"It sounds like a great idea," Berta said cutting in. "Think about it, you could perform here for the costumers. That would bring in people and get you good word of mouth. And you'd actually have to interact with other people…"

"I'm not a shut-in!" Ben shouted.

"The point is I think it's a good idea."

Ben looked back and forth between his aunt and Luna. His aunt was smirking at him while Luna was looking at him eagerly. "Okay, I guess," he said.

"Yes! We're gonna totally blow the roof of the place man!" Luna said giving him a punch on the arm.

Berta laughed. "Great! You guys could come here tomorrow and practice if you want. Until the place opens the stage is yours to use. The rest of you can come by and hang out too if you want. Just don't go bringing a bunch of people here. I'm not offering a free buffet."

"Sweet! You rock Ms. B!" Luna said giving her two thumbs up.

"Thank you Ms. Brittle, I am literally going to tell all my friends to come here opening day," Lori said.

"We'll all try to get as many people in here opening day. It's the least we could _dough_ for you," Luan joked. "Get it?"

"Oh, you girls are all so sweet," she said before turning towards the brothers. "You three could take a tip from these girls you know."

Lori stood up. "Well, it's been really fun hanging out, but we should start heading home. C'mon everyone," she said gesturing to her sisters. They all began getting up and following her.

"See you Beck," Luan said winking towards him. Beck smiled goofily and waved after her.

Lynn cracked her neck as she left. "Any time you want a rematch dweebs," she said smirking towards the twins. They both growled towards her.

Luna held her fist up. "Catch you at school tomorrow?"

Ben smiled and bumped her fist. "Sure." After a few more goodbyes the Loud sisters made their way out. The moment they pulled off Ben felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at his aunt who was smiling down at him. "I don't like that look…" he said narrowing his eyes.

"So, that was the rock star girl huh?" she asked deviously. "I like her. And Luan. And the rest of the sisters. I think they're going to make fine editions to the family, so you two try not and screw it up you hear me? Especially you Beck." she said looking to Ben and Beck.

Ben groaned. "Please stop…"

"Hey! Why _especially_ me?!" Beck shouted.

* * *

 **A/N: The Brittle Brothers meet the Loud sisters! At lest most of them. I just couldn't write out a scenario in which ALL of them met up. It would have been way to chaotic to write out, and I wanted to try and give all the characters some dialog.  
**

 **The next chapter will have Ben and the brothers in a school environment, and maybe a little bit of their band practice. They will find other band mates at school, and those characters will kind of make up the main cast of the fic. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Time for some review responses! Actually got four this time!**

 **Guest 1: I don't think I'll have Luna explaining their quirks. As Ben and the others get to know them better they're just kind of pick up on them, just like they'll pick up on the brothers. Thank for reviewing!**

 **HardWrapping: Thanks for the kind words. I know it's been a while since I put out any stories so I'm not expecting to gather a whole lot of reviews, and I really just write cause I like to. Reviews just kind of help me gauge how people are liking the direction I'm going in.**

 **Guest 2: Well, you got what you wanted this chapter! Don't worry, they'll meet the rest of the sisters and Lincoln soon enough. Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest 3: Oh my god that's such a catchy phrase. Mind if I use that for a later chapter? Anyway, yes, as crazy as having four brothers can be having eleven kids in one house is definitely got it beat. But I'm sure Ben can embrace the crazy. Thanks for the review!**


	5. First Day of School

"Alright boys, ready to make a good first impression?" Bruno asked as the Brittle family truck slowly came to a halt.

Ben opened his eyes and glanced out of the window from the back seat. He pulled off his headphones and yawned. So this was Royal Woods high. It would be kind of weird being here without all his brothers. Back home the high school and middle school were in one building, and the elementary school was right nearby. So the brothers were pretty much always together. Now it would just be him, Bruno, and Bruce.

Bruno would no doubt fall into his own click with the jocks, and Bruce would tag along with him. His two older brother were always hanging out. Ben on the other hand didn't have an interest in any sports or clubs, and he didn't think he'd blend in with any friends his brothers would make either. Maybe he would just find a place to himself to hang out outside of class.

"Okay, so we're just not going to answer me? Alright then," Bruno said as he parked the car. The three stepped out and began making their way into the building. "Guess I'll catch you guys later. Remember, we're gonna be trying out for Football later. Right Bruce?" Bruce nodded. He turned towards Ben. "I know you need to get back home to spend time with your lady, so I put your bike in the trunk."

Ben frowned at him. "Knock it off, she's not my lady. And we're just practicing." He still wasn't sure about this whole band deal, but having someone to play music with couldn't hurt.

"Yo dude!"

The three turned and saw Luna standing down the hall. She was waving towards them, motioning for Ben to come. "Well, you better get going. Your lady is calling you," Bruno said smirking.

"Shut up…" Ben said as he began heading towards her, leaving his brothers behind. Luna met him halfway down the hall. "Hey," he greeted.

"Morning dude!" she said excitedly. How someone could have that much energy in the morning was beyond him. Then again, he was never a morning person. He saw her glance at the piece of paper in his hand. "Is that your class schedule. Let's check it out man. Maybe we got some of the same classes."

Oh right, he still hadn't checked this thing. He didn't even know where the heck his homeroom was yet. "Well, let's find out," he opened up the paper and Luna looked over his shoulder to get a look at it. He turned slightly red from how close their faces were.

Luna looked over the sheet of paper. "Sweet man. Same home room, four classes together, and same lunch period," she said happily.

"Huh, you're right. Cool." He had been worried that he'd be lost around this place, but having a familiar face around would definitely make things easier for him. "So I guess we should head to homeroom then?" he asked.

"Sounds like a plan bro. It's right this way."

They made their way through the crowded halls the school and eventually entered into their homeroom class. Everyone inside seemed to already be talking with their friends about whatever it was friends talk about. Luna took a seat near the middle of the room. "There's an empty seat in front of me if you want," she offered.

He shrugged and got ready to take a seat, when suddenly the bell rung. Everyone quickly scurried to their seats, and He got ready to do the same when suddenly a voice yelled out behind him. "Okay! Everybody quiet down! We got a lot of work to do and a new student to… oh, speak of the devil." Ben turned around and saw a middle aged man with wild curly black hair and sunglasses. "You're Benjamin Brittle right?"

"Um… yeah." This guy was a teacher? He looked like some guy who just walked in off the street. His top button was undone, his tie was loose, and his shirt was only half tucked in.

"I'm your homeroom teacher Mr. Mcgillicutty. I know it's a mouthful, so just call me Mr. Gill," he said before nodding towards the rest of the class. "Go ahead and introduce yourself to the class. Say something about yourself and all that jazz." Ben raised an eyebrow. He was saying this like it was a chore more than a job. "Well, go on."

Ben turned towards the class, felling a bit nervous when he felt all the unfamiliar eyes on him. Luna gave him a thumbs up from her seat. "Uh… I'm Benjamin. Benjamin Brittle. You can just call me Ben though. Um… I like playing music and cooking. I hope we can get along and stuff."

Most of the kids seemed disinterested, but he did hear a few snickering. "Okay then, you can take your seat." Ben did as he was told taking the seat in front of Luna. Mr. Gill cleared his throat. "Okay then. Time for roll call…"

* * *

So far Ben couldn't complain much about his first day in school. He was a little behind the others on the material, but that wasn't surprising. The teachers helped him out where they could. A few of his classmates had asked about him, wanting to know a little more about him. Though most just seemed to ignore him.

Gym class had been… an experience. He'd zone out in the middle of a volleyball game and gotten spiked in the face, which had everyone laughing at him. Luna had asked him why he had seemed to space out, but he'd brushed it off. Lunch had gone pretty smoothly. They'd sat and chatted about some of their favorite bands and musicians, and once again she had noticed he'd seemed to drift off when trying to think of a song he'd forgotten.

But he had really brightened up when he heard they were going to cooking class. Now this was actually a class where he wouldn't be left behind in. "Okay everyone, today's assignment will be a simple one. We're just going to be making a breakfast dish. I know you're all probably used to making the basic bacon and eggs, but I'd appreciate if you try and branch out a little," their teacher said kindly. "Let's partner up and get started. We'll present them when we're done."

Ben suddenly felt something bump into his side. He looked over and was not surprised to see Luna smirking at him. "Partners?" she asked.

He smirked back at her. "Are you asking me because you just felt like being partners, or because you know I can cook?" he asked.

"A bit of both," she admitted shrugging. "So what are we making? Gonna whip up a fancy breakfast from the café? Some blueberry muffins? French toast?"

"Pancakes," he said simply.

"Pancakes?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"…oh."

"You sound disappointed."

Luna shrugged. "I don't know man. I guess after hearing your aunt and bro talk about how good you were in the kitchen that I thought you'd make something a little more…"

Ben chuckled. "I never said they'd be normal pancakes now did I?" he asked. He said as he looked over the ingredients on their table. "See, we Samoans like to add a little style to our pancakes. Watch and learn Loud."

Luna watched as he began grabbing up random ingredients and items. "First let's get the oil ready," he said before pouring some cooking oil into a pot. He put it over the stove and turned it on before passing her a thermometer. "Could you make sure that stays anywhere between 320 and 350 degrees?"

Luna nodded as he turned back around. "Let's see here, since we're going to double it. That's 4 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, a cup of sugar, pinch of salt…" he muttered as he threw the ingredients into the bowl. He grabbed a sifter and began shaking the dry ingredients through them.

His partner just watched him. For the third time today, Ben seemed to be in his own little world. She had seen Ben as a bit of an aloof guy. Kind of laid back. But it seemed like whenever he was doing something like playing music or cooking he got laser focus. It was like he didn't even notice she was here anymore. "Um… you need some help dude?" she asked.

He didn't answer her.

"Dude...?" She waved a hand in front of his face, but he didn't respond. Then she snapped her fingers a few times.

Ben seemed to snap out of his trance and turned to her, blushing slightly. "Crap, I was zoning out again wasn't I?"

Luna nodded. "You kind of do that a lot," she said looking a little worried. "Earlier today in volleyball, and then again at lunch. You okay?"

He waved his hand. "Y-yeah, I'm good, I'm good. Just… you know, my first day in school in all. I got to get used to it and stuff," he said chuckling nervously.

Luna raised an eyebrow at him. That wasn't even remotely believable. He was lying, that much was for sure. But she didn't want to pry. At least not in the middle of class where everyone could hear them anyway. She decided to ask about ti again later. "Whatever you say dude."

He added 2 eggs and 2 of cups milk to the batter. Then he added some water and mixed it up a bit. The batter didn't exactly look like batter. It looked more like wet dough. He grabbed some of up in his hand and rolled it into a ball. "Wanna help me roll em up?" he asked.

"No problem."

After rolling a few up they put them in the oil. When the dough reached a golden brown they took them out, and repeated the process until they were had twenty six little ball shaped pancakes. "And viola, Samoan pancakes!" he said holding up the plate.

"Cool. So this is how you guys eat pancakes huh?" Luna said before picking up one and taking a bite. "Mm, this is really good bro."

Ben smiled proudly. "Thanks. We do like to have regular flat ones too sometimes. But these are just a little more stylish don't you think?" he asked chuckling. "You can put banana or blueberry flavoring in these too, and I personally like to put powdered sugar on mine."

Before Luna could answer back, another student leaned over their table. "Whoa, are those donut holes?" he asked. "Sweet, can I have one?"

"Their pancakes. Ben made them," Luna said before passing one to him.

"We both made them," Ben corrected. She did help him after all, and he didn't want the teacher thinking he did all the work or something.

The boy took a bite and his eyes widened. "Dang man, this really is good! Hey guys, come check this out. The new kid made some round pancakes thingies." More of the students started making their way towards the table to take some of the pancakes.

"Wow, these are good."

"Is this powdered sugar?"

"Not bad new kid."

The teacher walked over and looked over their dish. "I'm sorry, do you mind?" she asked looking towards them. Ben and Luna both nodded. She picked one up and took a bite. "Oh my…" she muttered. She looked towards Ben. "You said Ben made these?"

He opened his mouth to correct her but Luna covered it with her hand. "Yep, he made them. I just helped roll the dough."

"To shape these the dough would have had to been mixed to a very specific texture, and it was also cooked to a near perfect golden brown. You even added a bit of vanilla extract for flavoring it taste like. This certainly isn't something you just try on the fly. Benjamin, do you have any prior experience in cooking?"

"Not really-"

"He sure does! He cooks at his aunt's café all the time," she said. "He's practically a chef. He can make some super wicked deserts. You should swing by when it opens up."

"Whoa, seriously?"

"I gotta come by there then."

"Are these things on the menu?"

Ben looked down a bit embarrassed. Well, at least this probably meant more business for his aunt. "Uh… they're not officially on the menu, but I could talk to my aunt about it." The next few minutes had been filled with questions about him and the restaurant. After a while things died down and they got back to class.

After school the two had made their way out to the parking lot. "Sorry if I kind of put you on the spot back there," Luna said. "I just figured it'd be a good chance to get more people to check out the café. And you're like super humble and stuff, so I knew you wouldn't brag."

"It's no big deal. Just not used to being in the spotlight… for something other than rocking anyway. Off stage I'm just kind of… me, you know?" he said shrugging his shoulders.

Luna laughed and bumped his shoulder. "Yeah, but you're awesome. By the way, I don't mean to pry or anything, but were you okay earlier? You kind of kept zoning out today."

Ben flinched. For a second Luna thought he was just going to blow it off again, but he sighed. "I got ADHD," he said bluntly. Luna looked a bit surprised. She knew the symptoms of ADHD. Leni had it after all. But he didn't had any of her quirks. He hadn't seemed like he'd had any trouble paying attention in class. He only seemed to zone out when he was talking or thinking about music. Well, there was also when he was cooking.

"Sorry, didn't know."

"It's cool."

"So, you have trouble paying attention then?"

He shook his head. "No. Most people think ADHD is just not being able to pay attention, and most of the time it is. But mine isn't really like that. I mean it can be hard, but I learned how to focus when I really need to. My problem is sometimes I pay _too_ much attention to stuff. I just get so wrapped up in something I lose track of everything. That's hyper focus."

"Hyper focus?" she asked confused.

"Uh-huh. Remember when I met you at the arcade? I'd been there for like two hours before you showed up. I was supposed to be going to the store for Aunt Berta. I got caught up in the game and just forgot. When I played on stage and when I was cooking, I just got lost. It's like everything around me just disappears," he explained.

She kind of knew what he was talking about. Sometimes Leni got so oblivious to stuff they'd have to shout in her ear to get her attention. "Usually it just happens when I'm playing a song or cooking, so it's not really that much of a problem. I spend a few minutes in the zone, and I'm out. But sometimes when I start thinking new song lyrics or music I can go for hours."

"Worst one is when I was writing this new song and ended up staying up all night. Didn't hear my aunt or brothers banging on the door, and Bruno had to kick it down to snap me out of it," he said shaking his head. "Nobody back home really wanted to deal with me blanking every five minutes, so I start hanging on my own."

Luna just stared at him for a few moments before smiling. She reached up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Well, no way I'm ditching you. I'm gonna have way too much fun thinking of all the crazy ways to snap you out of your trances. Wet willies, burping, trombone in the ear. It's gonna be hilarious. Maybe I'll make a video series of it."

Ben scoffed and pushed her away playfully. "So glad me zoning out is gonna be a blast for you," he said as they reached Bruno's car. "Your sister dropping you off at the café?"

"She would, but she's got to pick up the others first. Was hoping I could just hitch a ride with you guys," she answered.

He opened the trunk and reached inside. "Well, my brothers are going out for football right now, so we can't take the car. But if you don't mind something a little bumpier." He pulled out his bike and set it on the ground.

Luna whistled. "Sweet ride. Room for two?"

"Lucky for you, yes." He pulled out his helmet and placed it on her head. Luna was about to take it off and say something to him, but he held his hand up. "No way. I only got one helmet and it's going on you. Aunt Berta is gonna get on my case just for letting you ride. She sees you without a helmet and she'll murder me."

Luna sighed, reluctantly putting the helmet on. "Better not get helmet hair."

"You don't already?" Ben asked smirking as he close the trunk and got onto the bike.

She scoffed and punched him lightly. "Very funny Brittle." She got on behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Ben suddenly stiffened. For some reason the thought of her having to grab him had completely gone over his head. "You alright? Not zoning out on me again are you?"

He chuckled nervously. "N-no. I'm fine. You ready?"

"Let's rock dude!"

He revved the bike up and then took off. Luna cheered as they sped out of the parking lot.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the others. I tried adding both the school scene and them practicing at the cafe, but it just felt forced. So I decided to split the chapter into two. I hope you enjoyed this one. I wanted to show Ben has another hobby aside from playing music.**

 **As far as him having ADHD, I got this trait from a family member of mine. My little cousin had ADHD and while he can usually pay attention to most things just fine, he gets super focused whenever he's doing something that actually interest him.(He's super hard to beat in video games). This little quirk won't be a huge part of the story, but just a little something I wanted to add to his character. It'll be a thing that pops up every now and then.**

 **Also, forgot to mention this last chapter, but can any of you guess which song Ben sung in the cafe? Just wanted to know if anyone could name it without looking it up. ;)**

 **Time for some reviewer responses! Four of them this time!**

 **BlankBlankBlankityMcBlank: I also try to make sure I avoid making my characters too perfect. A character with no flaws is just... ugh. Hopefully you didn't find this chapter too pandering to Ben. I just wanted to get help everyone get to know a little more about him. Next chapter will be more about the chemistry with him and Luna... oh, and some family shenanigans of course. Thanks for reviewing!  
**

 **DannyPhantom619:** **Oh yea. I'm planning on having plenty of interactions with Lincoln and the guys. You know, one of my favorites episodes of the Loud House was the gender swap. I really enjoyed the parts with Lincoln and his brother really did get along. Of course I knew they were going to make it so he couldn't stand them later, but it was really fun to watch while it lasted. Thanks for the review!**

 **Rsizzle34:** **I'm still deciding on whether or not I want Sam to join the band or not. She's definitely going to Ben, Luna, and their friends, but as for right now her joining is still up in the air. But you're right, it would make for some reall great tension later down the road. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Gage the Hedgehog:** **Glad you're enjoying the story so far. Hope I can keep it up! Thanks for reviewing!  
**


	6. Practice and Photos

"And we have arrived."

Ben slowly pulled the bike to a stop in front of the café before turning it off. "Okay, I'd really like to try and sneak in so my aunt doesn't give me an earful-" Brutus suddenly ran out and came running towards them. "Dang it. So much for that plan."

Luna took her helmet off just in time for Brutus to jump on her. She laughed as the dog started nuzzling her face. "Hey there doggy dude. Still friendly as usual I see," she said scratching his head.

Ben scowled. "What the heck? Every time I come home he tackles me to-" Brutus turned and suddenly jumped on top of him, licking his face. "Oh come on! Get off of me!" he said trying to push him away. Luna burst out in laughter. "So not funny!"

"It totally is. Guess you're just his favorite huh?"

After finally managing to calm the dog down, Ben put his bike away in the garage and they made their way inside. The moment they opened the door they saw his aunt standing in front of them, with her arms crossed. Luna whistled and looked away nervously while Brutus hung his head. "Hey auntie-"

"You weren't wearing a helmet!" she said flicking his forehead. "How many times have I told you, if you're going to ride around on that death machine then at least wear a helmet! The last thing I need is you cracking your head open on the street like an egg!"

Ben scowled. "Aw c'mon. Luna needed a ride and I only had one helmet. I'm fine, it's not a big deal so quite stressing about it." Berta took a deep breath before putting her hands on his shoulders. She turned him around and suddenly pulled him into a headlock. "AH!"

He tried to pry himself loose, but she held on tightly to him. "Trying to act tough in front of your little friend huh? Don't think because she's here I won't put a beat down on you," she said with an evil smirk.

Luna watched the two awkwardly. "Uh, Ms. B?" Berta looked up towards her. "It's kind of my fault he was cruising without his headgear. I sort of asked for a ride out of nowhere, and he was just trying to make sure I was safe."

Berta suddenly smiled. "Oh, don't you worry about it sweetie. You have nothing to apologize for. I keep telling this one to buy another helmet for his brothers anyway," she said before turning back to Ben with a frown. "Hmm, since you were being a little chivalrous I'll let you off with a warning this time. But tomorrow I want you to go out and buy another helmet."

"Alright! I get it, now let me go!"

"Tap out first."

"C'mon auntie!"

"I said tap out!"

Ben sighed before tapping on her arm a few times. Berta let him go and ruffled his hair as he stumble forward. "Hah, still got it. Now, you two enjoy yourselves. I'll whip up some snacks for you," she said heading towards the kitchen. Ben scowled while Luna laughed at the scene.

He groaned. "God, I love my aunt but she's just… uh…"

"I think you're aunt's pretty cool," Luna said.

"Of course you would," he said cracking his neck. "Now I have to go out and buy a helmet."

"Want me to chip in? It is kind of my fault?" she asked.

"Nah, I was going to have to buy one eventually anyway," he said shrugging. "So, should we start practicing first, or wanna knock out some homework?"

Luna sighed. "Might as well take care of work first. Then we can jam out all we want after," she said pulling off her backpack.

The two took a seat at a nearby table and started working. Luna had to help Ben out a bit since he wasn't completely caught up with everything. Every now and then he'd start zoning out on a certain problem, and she'd find some ridiculous way to snap him out of it like pulling his cheek or blowing a raspberry next to his ear.

All and all they got through it fairly easily. Just as they were starting to finish up, Berta came back out with a tray of cupcakes. "Okay, here you go! Now don't eat too much. Can't rock out on an oversized belly."

Luna jumped up from her seat. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" she grabbed a cupcake and quickly took a bit before turning to Ben. "Let's get rocking!"

Ben scratched his head. "We haven't really practiced or anything, we should-"

Luna picked up her guitar and grabbed his wrist before pulling him towards the stage. "We don't need practice bro! We just need to go with the flow! It's like Mick Swagger says, we just need to have fun!"

Ben got the feeling arguing with her really wouldn't do any good. "Okay then, are we at least going to pick a song? Otherwise we're just playing random stuff. Don't really think the crowd is going to dig that."

"Sure dude!" She hooked her guitar up to the amps, and Ben did the same. "You should know this one. Just follow my lead and let the musical mayhem flow through you." Luna began playing her guitar before leaning into the microphone.

" _ **Now, with nothing but a dirty bag on my back,**_

 _ **I'll take to the sky fly across the map!**_

 _ **My wings need room for spreading and I'm ready to soar,**_

 _ **To the place that I have longed and dreamed for!**_ **"**

Ben instantly recognized the song and started playing backup for her.

" _ **Yeah, yeah, yeah…!**_

 _ **The Rock City Girl!**_

 _ **Oh baby strum strum**_

 _ **I'm breaking down the walls with my guitar**_

 _ **Oh yeah, screaming out reaching far**_

 _ **Just music that's all that you need**_

 _ **I dedicate this to you straight from me!"**_

Luna turned towards Ben with a smirk, bumping his hip lightly with her own. Ben laughed as she continued to sing.

" _ **We're really not so different, you and me**_

 _ **We'll just live and we'll dance and we'll sing**_

 _ **There's no place that I'd rather be**_

 _ **Chasing to be free, my perfect dream!"**_

Ben stepped forward and began singing into the mic as well.

" _ **Yeah yeah yeah**_

 _ **The Rock City Girl!**_

 _ **Doesn't matter if we're asleep**_

 _ **Doesn't matter if we're awake,**_

 _ **We will never ever forget,**_

 _ **What's at stake!**_ "

Luna stepped back and gestured towards Ben who kept singing.

" _ **I wanna believe that singing on beat**_

 _ **Most recently is like recess for me**_

 _ **Pretty pretty please, no birds and the bees**_

 _ **But ecstasy with extra cheese**_

 _ **Rhyming rhino sounding like bono**_

 _ **All smacked up with a black jack bottle**_

 _ **When I say "ho" you say "hey"**_

 _ **I bet you wanna know what I'm really trying to say!"**_

The song came to an end and both Luna and Ben cheered. They turned towards each other and high fived. "That was awesome! You were killing it with the backup dude!"

"Me?! Are you kidding?! Your playing was freaking epic! And I didn't know you could sing like that! You got some pipes on you Loud!"

"Yeah, well you were totally amazing with that last part! I always screw it up but you just breezed right through!"

They heard clapping and turned towards Berta, who was applauding the both of them. "Nice, very nice," she said giving them a thumbs up.

"Okay, so we know we can jam together. We just need to come up with a few songs. I can bring some songs I've been working on tomorrow, but why don't we check out what you got written up already?"

"Sure. I'll bring them down and we can-"

"Nah, let's just head up to your room," she said casually. "That way you don't have to drag it all down. And hey, you could give me a tour of the place while you're at it."

Ben was silent for a moment. There were a number of reasons that he did not want Luna in his room. For one it was a mess. The Brittle brothers had never been the cleanliest bunch. The second reason was one he really didn't want to say out loud, which was that his aunt had never let them have girls in their room alone.

Bruno had broken this rule once with his girlfriend, and the entire family ended up having to watch a video on about the consequences of unprotected sex. It hadn't been a fun night for anyone. "Are you sure, my room is kind of-"

"I usually don't let them take girls to their room, but I like you, I'll give you a pass," Berta said cutting him off.

"Sweet." Luna said heading for the stairs.

Ben looked back at his aunt slightly surprised. That was… strange of her. He slowly followed after Luna only to have a hand grab his shoulder. "But keep the door open. I don't want you two getting up to anything naughty," she said with a mischievous smirk.

At this point Ben was pretty sure his face was beet red by now. He ignored his aunt and kept making his way up the stairs. When he caught up to Luna she looked at him confused. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Your face is all red."

"Nothing…" Ben said simply. Luna raised an eyebrow, but followed after him. He made his way down the hall before opening the closest door. The room inside looked like a tornado hit it. There were video games, comics, and sports equipment all over the place. "That's the twins' room. As you can see it's just as chaotic as they are."

Luna whistled. "Little dudes really look like they know how to party."

He opened the next door, which was entirely card themed. There were playing card decks laying over the desk in the corner of the room, and even the bed sheet looked like a giant playing card. "Guess who's room this is?" he asked smirking.

"Wow, Beck really is serious with the whole card thing huh?" Luna said. The next room was filled with computers, video game consoles, and all types of musical and computer equipment. "Whoa, this looks like a CIA science lab or something. Whose room is this?"

"It's Bruce's. May not say much but he's really into computers and all that stuff. He does a lot of programming, and I think he's working on his own video game or something. Now we should probably get out of here. He doesn't like people in his room and I'm pretty sure he has cameras around here somewhere."

The next room was fill with work out equipment. There were lifting weights, a punching bag, and a wrestling matt in the middle of the room. "Gotta be Bruno's right?" Luna guessed.

"Bingo. Big bro's got sports on the brain."

"So, that just leaves your room right?" Luna asked smirking.

He hummed. "Yep, guess it does… let's skip that one." Suddenly Brutus came running by them and towards his room. He jumped up and pushed the door opened with his front paws before running in. "Brutus! Bad dog! Get out of there!"

Luna laughed and walked towards his room. "Let's see what the most rocking Brittle brother's room looks like shall we?" He quickly scrambled after her. Once he got inside he paled. His room really was still a mess.

There were lyric sheets spread all over the place and he had dirty clothes just thrown around. There were a few music posters spread out on the wall. Brutus was sitting on his bed, which wasn't made at all. The only thing that looked neat were his instruments, which were carefully placed on their stands or cases. "Didn't have time to clean up," he said chuckling nervously.

Luna looked around the place. "Yep, this is definitely a rocker's room. Is that a Love Handel poster? You listen to those guys? Retro," she said nodding in approval.

She started looking through the rest of his room. "Wow, just going to go straight to the snooping huh?" he asked.

"Got something to hide?" she asked amused.

"Well, nothing in particular. But you probably shouldn't look under the bed. You have a brother, you should know what's under there," he shocked.

She playfully punched his arm before turning towards his desk. She glanced over all the papers on it. Some of them were unfinished, and some of them were crumpled up. "So these are the songs you work on right?"

"Yeah. Just something to do when I'm bored or down," he said shrugging.

Luna looked over them for a few more seconds before noticing an open book on the desk. She looked down at it. "Pfft, is that you?" she asked laughing.

Ben looked down at the picture and blushed. He'd forgotten he'd had that there. It was a photo book he'd kept. Usually it was to make sure his aunt didn't show embarrassing pictures to their guest. But sometimes he liked to browse through it to remember the old days. He must have just tossed it on his desk and forgot about it when he unpacked.

The cover of the book had a picture of him and his brothers, all much younger than they were now. Berta looked like she was around nineteen or twenty. She was holding two identical looking two year olds in her arms, which Luna guessed were the twins. Bruno looked like he was around seven or eight and actually had hair. He was flexing his muscles.

Bruce looked younger, but was still tall for his age. He was just standing beside his aunt looking as stoic as always. Beck, who looked like he was around four, was holding out a set of playing cards. Ben who was around five was missing his two front teeth and holding up his hands in a rocker pose.

"Aw, even back then you were rocking out."

"Yeah, guess I was. Now I'll just take that-"

Luna pulled it away as he tried to grab it. "No way bro. I wanna see what Ben Brittle was like as a kid," she said as she started flipping through he book.

"No way! There are things in that book never meant to see the light of day!"

Luna kept the book out of his reach as he grabbed for it once more. "Ah c'mon, you're being dramatic. We all got embarrassing baby photos and junk. Just a quick little peek? Please?" she asked sweetly.

He stared at her for a few seconds before sighing. He really didn't want her to go through the book, but he couldn't bring himself to say no. Not when she was looking at him like that. "A quick one…" he muttered.

"Yes!" she quickly began flipping through the book. She stopped on one page and smiled towards him. "Oh, look at you in this one. Hubba-hubba," she teased wiggling her eyebrows.

Ben turned red as she showed him a picture of him from last year. He was shirtless flexing his arms, showing off the tattoos on his arms and back. He was smiling, but it looked pained. There even looked like there were a few tears in his eyes. "I-I'd just got my tattoos..."

"Were you crying?" she asked amused.

"I'd just finished having a sea shell carving my skin for a week. You'd be crying too."

She moved on to another photo. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked curiously. This one was of all six of the Brittle brothers. They were once again shirtless and wearing red shorts and grass necklaces. They looked like they were stomping their feet or something. "Are you dancing? And what's with the get up?"

"It was the twin's first Siva Tau," Ben explained. Luna looked at him confused. "Oh! Right, sorry. It's Samoan for 'War Dance'. It's like a traditional thing we do for sports events and stuff. The twins were playing their first basketball game and we decided to do one before the game."

Luna looked at it curiously. "Sounds pretty cool. I bet Lynn would love doing something like that before a game. She's all about superstitions and stuff." She flipped to another page. "Aw, this one is sweet." It was one of Ben holding Brutus. Though the Great Dane was obviously a puppy at this point.

Ben snorted. "Never should have let the twins have a dog. They don't even take care of him besides playing. It's like having another brother," he said right as Brutus came over and nudged him. He reluctantly patted him on the head.

"You totally love him though," Luna said moving on.

Ben was honestly a little relieved. She hadn't come across anything to embarrassing yet. Maybe if he got lucky then… he saw her stiffen suddenly. He glanced down at the next picture and then grew wide eyed. He'd thought he'd taken this one out of the album. It was another picture of him and his brothers. They were even younger in this one. The twins looked like infants.

There was a man and woman in the photo. The man was large and muscular, and had tattoos all over his arms. He was carrying the twins and had what looked like a young Beck clinging onto his back. He looked a lot like Bruno. He was wearing a big smile on his face.

The woman had long black hair and a slim figure. She wore a stoic, almost bored, expression on her face as she held what looked like a young Ben. Bruno and Bruce were standing in front of her, grabbing her legs. What had really stuck out to Luna however was her eyes, along with the eyes of the one she was holding.

She hadn't really been looking before, so she hadn't noticed. But now that she had a chance to look at them all closely, she realized that Ben's eyes were different from the rest of his brothers. They were all brown, while Ben's was green. Just like the woman holding him. "Is that…?"

Ben looked down at the picture for a few moments. Luna thought he might have been zoning out again, but she wasn't exactly sure if she should snap him out of it. This had to be a touchy subject. What would she say? What _should_ she say?

"That's my mother," Ben said simply. Brutus whined and nudged his hand, and he simply rubbed the dog's head. He chuckled slightly. "Six kids. Six. And somehow I end up the only one who got her eyes. That's some pretty dang good odds right?" he asked.

Luna couldn't tell what that feeling in his voice was. It sounded like sorrow, anger, and nostalgia all rolled into one. Whatever it was she thought it was better if they'd stopped now. She didn't want to open up any old wounds. "We can stop now if you want."

Ben just kept staring at the photo, then suddenly looked up towards her. "It's fine. Hey, you mind if we pick up practice tomorrow?" he asked.

Luna groaned. "I'm sorry dude. I totally ruined the mood didn't I?"

Ben raised his hands. "No, it's not you, honest. I just think it'd be better if we both had our songs here to compare," he said trying to reassure her.

Luna still didn't look all that convinced. But she nodded. "Yeah, sure dude," she said rubbing her arm nervously. "But you know, if you ever want to talk about personal stuff or just want to vent, I'm all ears. I mean, what are friends for right?" she said raising her fist.

He hummed before bumping her fist. "Thanks." Brutus suddenly pushed against his leg and barked. "Alright, I get it you dumb mutt. I'm not sad."

"He really likes you huh?" Luna said kneeling down and patting him.

As if to prove her point Brutus jumped up on top of him, knocking him to the floor before licking his face. "Too much…" Ben said clearly annoyed. He shoved Brutus off of him and got up. "You want to get out of here and grab something to eat?"

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your aunt making dinner or something?"

"Yeah, but you don't want to be here for dinner. Trust me, when the Brittle brothers chow down it's more like a battle than a meal," he warned. "You got to know decent fast food joints right? I'll buy."

She beamed. "Well, if you're offering to pay then I'm sure I can think of a few places!"

"You're not planning on draining my wallet are-?"

"No take backs!" she said heading out of the door.

"Dang it!"

* * *

 **A/N: What up guys! How did you enjoy this chapter? It had actually been a little long than I intended, but that was fine since the last one was a little shorter. So I guess I broke even. You know there just had to be a chapter with embarrassing old photos. I just couldn't resist.**

 **The song used in this chapter was 'The Rock City Boy' by Jamil. (Since Luna was the one singing I changed it to girl) But the lyrics are from the cover done by Nathan Sharp, who you should definitely check out on YouTube. He makes some serious awesome covers and even a few originals.**

 **I juggled back and forth between adding the picture of their mother and father in it, but eventually decided to add it in. I just didn't want it to be the main focus of the chapter. Just a little set up for later. I had wanted to try and get some focus on the other Brittle brother in a dinner scene, but I thought that would drag on a little long, so I'll save that for later.**

 **But don't worry, they'll be some more interactions with the other Brittles next chapter.**

 **Time for some reviewer responses!**

 **BlankBlankBlankityMcBlank: Thanks! I'll do my best to make sure I keep it up. And yeah, there seem to be a lot of fics with OC's somehow seducing the Loud sisters and every other women in town. It gets really awkward. That's why I planned from the start just for it to be between Ben and Luna. Any drama involving them won't involve any of the other sisters. At least not on a romantic level anyway.**

 **Starshine89: Thanks for the review! And while I haven't check out your fic with Adam, I have read with one with Lawrence. I wanted to make sure I actually knew what was going on. It's pretty good. Lawrence is an interesting character too!**

 **tylerchavis97: I'm always willing to hear out ideas from reviews. I can't guarantee I'll use all of them of course, but hearing them out sometimes strikes me with a new idea. Prom might be a little while away, but there will definately be some school dances to look forward too. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **HardWrapping: Thanks. I did my best to make sure Ben's personality shined through before his quirk did. And I hope I'm going a good job showing the chemistry with Ben and Luna. I want it to feel organic.**


	7. Omake 1

**A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to the first Omake for Brittle Bonds. For those who don't know what an Omake is, it's just a Japanese term for a bonus. This is just a short I wrote on the fly. It has nothing to do with the main story and it's just something I did for fun.  
**

 **This one is based off of Lincoln's superhero comic, where his sisters dawn the identities of the Full House Gang. Let me know what you guys think of it in the reviews.**

* * *

The night was filled with dead silence as moonlight shined down on the local museum. Quickly and quietly, a lone figure made its way through the exhibits, poaching any riches he could get his hands on. He wore pair of star shaped headphones, a green domino mask, a green shirt with a yellow star across his chest, and black baggy pants.

He took a look at a nearby painting and smiled. It looked like it was worth quite a pretty penny. It would definitely cover his share of the workload with the rest of the gang.

Just as he was about to reach out and grab it however, he heard a noise behind him. He jumped away just seconds before a sound wave flew by him. "Not so fast dude!" He looked up and saw a figure standing on the rail of the second floor. He scowled as he recognized her as one of the cities many crime fighters. "Your little late night shopping spree is at an end."

The thief smiled and bowed dramatically. "Well, as I live and breath, if it isn't the famous Night Club. I'm honored such a well-known heroine would waste her time on the likes of a two-bit thief like myself. I assume the rest of the Full House Gang will be on their way soon?"

She smirked. "Flattery isn't going to earn you any points from me bro. And lucky for you I'm performing solo tonight. Not that I need the rest of the gang to deal with a sticky fingered guy like you," she said taking aim at him with her guitar. "Now, you seem to know me, but I haven't seen you around here. You some guy I locked up before rocking a costume now?"

He hummed. If she was by herself this would make things much easier. "The name is Crimp, of the Sleights of Hand. Maybe you've heard of us?" he asked.

Night Club frowned. She knew about the Sleights of Hand. They were a group of thieves that always moved from town to town stealing the most valuable things they could find. They were a very elusive bunch, and not a single hero had been able to catch them yet. Well, that was going to change tonight. "And no, this is the first time I've had the pleasure of meeting you."

"Well Crimp, hate to break it to you, but this is the swan song for your thieving streak," she said as she jumped down and landed in front of him. "Turn yourself over quietly, and this won't have to get too messy."

Crimp smiled. "You don't really think it's gonna be that easy do you?"

Night Club charged at him and swung her guitar. He quickly ducked under the swing and then flipped back before grabbing his headphones. He pulled the stars of the sides of them, which quickly grew back, and then threw them at her.

The heroine dodged the projectiles which implanted themselves in the caveman exhibit behind her. The stars began to shake slightly, and soon the wax figures behind her completely fell apart. She looked back at them surprised. "You're not the only one who uses sound. Whatever gets mark with my stars get a nice dose of sonic vibrations to shake things up."

She grunted before charging at him again. He threw a few more stars which she knocked away with her guitar. When she reached him she started to swing at him, but he nimbly dodged each attack. "You know," Night Club said between swings. "You dress pretty flashy for a thief."

He rolled out of the away of another attack and grabbed another star. "And you dress pretty dark for a heroine." He hurled the star at her, but she ducked out of the way. "Not that I'm complaining. I'm really digging the face paint."

"Already told you, flattery won't work on me," she said as she strummed her guitar, sending a sound wave flying at him.

He was sent flying and knocked onto his back, but he quickly rolled back up to his feet. "It's not flattery. I'm just making an observation about a pretty girl," he said smirking.

Night Club scoffed. "Oh, so you're one of those flirty thieves huh?"

"Only with the pretty ones," he said winking at her.

The two ran at each other, both swinging and dodging each other's attacks. Night Club swung her guitar downwards, but he managed to catch it by the handle just before it hit him. "Do you ever think to yourself that stealing is wrong? That you're costing innocent people their hard earned money?" she asked pushing down harder.

He struggled to keep her at bay. "Oh give me a break. We only steal from guys we know can afford it. You think the chumps who run this place couldn't buy and sell this stuff twenty times over?" he asked managing to push her back some. "And besides, we take what we need and dump the rest at some charity or something. It's a win-win right?"

"It's illegal!"

"It's survival. Even thieves have to eat, and we don't all have fat pockets."

"That doesn't make it right!"

"Yeah, sorry, but your justice doesn't fill my stomach."

Night Club growled before lifting her foot and kicking him in the chest. He went tumbling back and she readied her guitar for another sound wave. "I'm done arguing with you. Shows over."

Crimp got up and suddenly twisted the stars on his headphones. "Over? No way. I'm just about to max out the volume." The star on his chest suddenly began glowing.

Night Club strummed her guitar firing another sound wave, and the star on Crimp's chest shot out one of its own. The two attacks collided in a clash of sound, and both of them were sent flying back from impact. Night Club landed on the ground hard and slid back a few feet. She groaned and quickly pushed herself up, only to have her guitar knocked form her hands by one of Crimp's stars.

She gasped as Crimp rushed at her, grabbing her wrists and pinning her against the wall. "Look super-girl. I'm not hurting anyone. I'm not trying to takeover or blow up your city. I'm just looking out for myself. Is there really anything so wrong about that?"

A scowl made its way across her face. "Oh, so you're not an egotistical maniac, your just a selfish low down jerk?"

Crimp sighed. "If that's how you see it. Anyway, it's been fun beautiful, but I really should get going. All that commotion was bound to trip up some alarms. See you next time."

Before she could say he wasn't going anywhere, he let out a low sonic blast from the star on his chest, knocking her out. He set her down gently, and then quickly made his way out through the sky light. He knew this wouldn't be the last time he came across Night Club, or the rest of her super friends either.

When he got to the roof another figure was waiting for him. This one wore a similar costume to Crimp's, but his was red, he had no headphones, and a lightening bolt on his chest instead of a star. "False Cut? What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you. What took you so long bro?"

"I ran into one of the local celebrities. Had a bit of trouble," he explained.

"You too huh? There really are a lot of them around here. I ended up running into Joker. Though I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind being chased around by her," he said smirking.

Crimp sighed. "Just make sure to stay focus while we're here. We came to make bank, not flirt with the locals. Now let's get back to the others. They're waiting."

* * *

After waking up Night Club had headed back to base and reported on what happened. Apparently the rest of the gang had also had run-ins with the Sleight of Hand members. Joker had tangled with False Cut, High Card and Eleven of Hearts had tussled with Palmer, and Ace and One-Eyed Jack had gone against Side Slip. The rest of the gang had ended up dealing with the Force Twins who had the ability to make copies of themselves.

Though most of them had managed to go toe to toe with them, none of them had been successful in actually bringing the family of thieves into custody. This wasn't going to look good in tomorrow's paper. She looked down at the star in her hand and growled. Not only had she been the only one of her team to outright lose her fight, but he'd had the gull to leave a note behind as well.

" _Looking forward to our next duet together beautiful- Your new fan, Crimp."_

She felt her cheeks heat up a bit. She was used to dealing with flirty villains before, but this guy was different. He and his brothers actually knew what they were doing.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She turned around and saw Joker approaching her. "Yeah, I'm all good dude."

Joker put a hand on her shoulder. "I know things look bad right now, but we'll catch them. They can only escape for so long."

She nodded. "I know. No matter what it takes, we'll bring them in. That's a promise."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, there we go! I hope you guys enjoyed this little short. If you're wondering who's who here then then you can look up the Full House Gang on the website. As for the Brittle brothers, I based their names off of techniques used in card tricks. I also tried to make their abilities have something to do with their themes, but it was a little trickier than I thought. This is what I have so far, but it might change later.**

 **Crimp is Ben, and whatever he marks with his stars has a sonic vibration sent through it. He can also send sound waves through the one on his chest.**

 **False Cut is Beck, and he has the power to cut anything he hits with his throwing cards in half. Whatever he does cut however isn't really damaged and can be put right back together again, including people.**

 **Palmer is Bruno, and has super strength and can climb or walk up any type of surface.**

 **Side Slip is Bruce and he can phase through wall or the ground, or just about anything really.**

 **And finally the Force Twins are Brady and Billy, who can make copies of themselves.**


	8. Kid Crushes

**A/N: Because I want to make sure people check out the musical references, I'm going to try and remember to add them near the beginning. This chapter's song is the English cover 'Bloody Stream' by Y. Chang. Go check it out on Youtube, it's really good!**

* * *

Ben made his way downstairs with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Unlike most mornings his brothers were already at the table enjoying their breakfast. He made his way towards the table and then began filling Brutus' food bowl. Bruno looked back towards him. "You wake up late little brother?" he asked casually.

"No. I'm actually heading out early," Ben said pushing Brutus' head away. "Wait you dumb mutt…"

His aunt looked up at him confused. "Early? Since when did you get to school early? Is something happening?" she asked.

"Nothing's happening. We're just going early so we can-"

"We?" Beck asked amused. He leaned back in his chair towards his brother and smirked. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about a certain brown haired rocker would you? You two walking to school together now?" Ben stared at him for a few seconds before grabbing his chair and pulling him down, sending him tumbling into the floor. "OW!"

Ben finished filling the dog bowl. "None of your business who I'm talking about or what we're doing. Now screw off," he said scowling.

The twins laughed. "Is that why you bought that extra helmet?" Brady asked.

"I bought it because Auntie told me to buy it."

"You bought a purple one with a skull on it. That wasn't for _us,_ " Billy said.

Ben growled. He'd bought the helmet on the way home with Luna the other day, she said she thought it looked cool, so he bought it. If she was going to keep on hitching a ride she might as well of had her own. It wasn't like his brothers road with him all that often. But of course they had to open their big mouths and make more out of it than it really was. "Whatever. We came up with a new song and we're working out the finishing touches before school."

His aunt hummed. "That's good. You two have been sounding really good in practice. You think you'll be ready for a live performance before tomorrow?" Tomorrow was the opening day of the cafe, and they'd been working to put the finishing touches on the place.

Ben shrugged. "Maybe."

"Maybe? All that practice together and it's just a maybe?" Bruno asked. "Are you sure you guys are really practicing and not up to something else?"

Ben growled, but his aunt quickly cut in. "Alright, enough messing with your brother. Have you and Bruce talked with your coach about practice?" she asked.

Bruno nodded. "We told him about work. He said if we start practice right after school we could cut early. We'll be able to make our shifts," he said. Bruce nodded in agreement.

"Twins?"

Brady and Billy both scoffed. "We crushed basketball tryouts so hard we wouldn't even have to show up to practice and they'd let us play. But yeah, we got permission to leave early," Billy said before scowling. "And so did Lynn…"

The elder brothers all chuckled. The twins had developed a rivalry with Lynn. Usually on the basketball court the twins were untouchable, but Lynn had been the first person around their age able to keep up with them. "You two can't handle a little competition?" Bruno asked. They both groaned.

"Well, as much as I love making fun of the twins, I gotta get going," Ben said.

"You don't even want to grab something for breakfast?" Berta asked.

"I'll grab something on the way."

"Have fun with your lady!"

"Shut up!"

"Oh, and you're going to make the game later right?" Bruno asked. "Me and Bruce and gonna do the Siva Tau, and we were kind of hoping you guys would do it in the stands." Ben stopped. He'd forgotten the homecoming football game was today. He didn't know how, it was all everyone was talking about.

Apparently they were playing against their rivals, the Hazeltucky Hockers (which was a stupid name by the way). While he had no real interest in football, he always went to his brothers games, just like they always went to his performances. "Glad you reminded me. Would have totally forgotten. I'll be there. Catch you later."

With that he made his way to the garage and grabbed his bike. He sped off towards the Loud house as he mentally prepared himself. This would be his second visit there, and while he had met with the Loud siblings separately multiple times already, the chance of seeing them all in one place again was definitely going to be… an experience.

* * *

The drive was only a few minutes away, and he walked up to the front door. He knocked on the door, and a few moments later it opened up to Lincoln. "Oh, hey Ben. What are you doing here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"To pick up your sister. We're riding to school together."

Lincoln nodded. "Oh… cool. She's not ready yet though. Still in the bathroom. Ten girls, one bathroom, you know," he said shrugging.

"So… how long do you think-"

"You might want to wait inside," Lincoln suggested.

Ben sighed, but nodded. He knew how long girls could take getting ready. His aunt always took her time primping herself in the bathroom, and she didn't even wear that much makeup. As he followed Lincoln towards the living room, he noticed a comic sitting on the couch. "You're into Ace Savvy, right?" he asked.

Lincoln paused for a moment, probably remembering their first meeting. "Uh, yeah."

He picked up the comic and looked over it. "I remember my Ace Savvy days. I'm not so into now, but I used to be obsessed with it when I was younger. The twins are now, and Bruce still has his collection stored away in his room. Maybe when you come over he'll show it to you sometime."

Lincoln looked at him curiously. "Bruce… my sisters said he's the really tall one right? The football player? He reads Ace Savvy?"

"He's got the largest collection I've ever seen. He even has an original of issue number 47."

Lincoln gasped. "An original 47! Now way, you have to show me!" he said grabbing onto his arm. "I've looked all over the internet to find it and nothing came up!"

"No prob man. Bruno and I are more into 'Jay-Jay's Strange Adventures' now, so I'm sure Bruce and the twins would love to hang with a fellow Ace Savvy fanboy. You know if you ever want to swing by and chill, get some guy time in, we're game right?"

Lincoln smiled. Ever since Bobby had moved away he hadn't had a chance to hang out with any older brother figures. It was nice to know someone was willing to make the offer. "Thanks."

Ben held his fist out, and Lincoln bumped it. "Well hey there, didn't know we were having a guest this morning." The boys turned around and saw Lynn Sr. approaching.

"Hey dad," Lincoln greeted. "This is Ben. He's the one starting the band with Luna."

Lynn Sr. hummed. "Ah, so you're the one who got my daughters into tattoos," he said suddenly glaring at him. Ben flinched. Oh boy, he was in trouble… The older man laughed before patting him on the shoulder. "Oh I'm just messing with you. Luna told me that they're a cultural thing."

Ben let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he was holding. "Yeah. I tried to get them out of it since it's painful, but they weren't having it. Lynn is a pretty… determined kid."

"Don't have to tell me. Jr. Takes after her old man," he said proudly.

Ben looked at him skeptically, but wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. "Anyway, It's nice to meet you sir. Luna said you work as a chef in a restaurant. I looked it up and read a lot of good reviews for the place."

"She told me you were quite the cook as well. Maybe you could show me what you got in the kitchen one of these days. I could always use an apprentice."

Ben chuckled. "Well, if rock doesn't work out I guess I could use a backup plan," he joked.

They heard stomping from upstairs. "Well, looks like the girls are on their way down. Better get the finishing touches on breakfast. Good luck." He turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Ben looked at him confused. What did he mean good luck? "Race you the kitchen!" Ben immediately felt something slam into his back. He fell to the ground, feeling a heavy weight on top of his back. "Uh, watch it Lincoln-! Oh! It's Ben!"

"Hi…" Ben said from the ground. The thirteen year old was heavier than she looked. Not that he was going to tell her that to her face.

She hopped off of him and offer him a hand. Ben took it and got to his feet just in time to see the others making their way down. He was swarmed with 'Good mornings' and 'What's ups'. It waved back and tried to make sure he kept track of them all.

"Yo dude," Luna greeted. "When did you get here?"

"A little while ago. Been chatting it up with your little bro and dad," he said ruffling Lincoln's hair. The white haired boy straightened his hair back, but smirked nonetheless.

"Glad you're hitting it off little bro. I'm just gonna grab some grub to go and then we can head out. You want anything? I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind making extra," she offered.

"It's okay, I'm…" He stopped when they heard his stomach growling. He guessed he was used to having eaten by now.

Luna rolled her eyes and headed into the kitchen. "I'll see if there's an extra sandwich in the fridge or something, be right back." She walked off to the kitchen, followed by the rest of her sisters. They all threw quick goodbyes his way as they went to enjoy their breakfast. Well, except Lana who just hid behind her twin and stared at him.

"Still scared of me pipsqueak?"

Lana yelped before running into the kitchen. Lola looked towards her twin, and then at Ben before sighing and walking off. He looked after them confused, when suddenly something was shoved into his mouth. "Found a leftover burrito in the fridge! Lucky you!" Luna said before taking a bite of her own breakfast sandwich.

He bit down on the burrito and hummed. This was good. Her dad really could cook. Maybe he should consider taking him up on his offer. "Thanks. You ready to get going?"

"Ready as rain luv," she said in a British accent.

He chuckled as they made their way out of the door. "Oh, by the way, do you know what the deal with your sister is?"

"Which one?"

"The twin with the red cap. Lana I think? She seems like she's really afraid of me. She keeps on hiding behind the other one and giving me this weird look."

Luna stared at him before bursting out in laughter. "Seriously? You really haven't figure it out yet? She likes you dude," she explained.

Ben almost spit out his burrito. "What?"

"Yeah. All little kids get a crush on someone older. My little bro has a friend with a huge crush on Lori. It's kind of cute… a little creepy, but mostly cute."

Ben felt kind of awkward. He guessed he understood. He'd had a crush on an older girl when he was younger. It just felt weird to be on the opposite end. Suddenly he smirked. "So, who did you have a crush on when you were a kid?"

Luna paused for a moment, her face turning red. "What?"

"You said everyone does. What about you? Who was little Luna Loud's big crush on?"

"Uh… it's a secret…"

"Oh come on! Now I have to know!"

"Well who was yours?"

"I plead the fifth…"

* * *

Ben laughed hard as he tuned the strings on his guitar, and Luna's cheeks turned red. He couldn't believe it. "Your first crush was the Oh Boyz? Seriously? They were so cheesy! There like the ideal generic boy band!" he said amused. The two were in the music room, which was free this period, and Ben had finally managed to convince her to talk about her first older crush. He never thought it would be this hilarious though.

Luna punched his arm. "Shut up. I was like ten, and every girl in school was crushing on them back then. Besides, I wasn't the hardcore rocker I am now. I never would have been into them…" she said embarrassed.

"So, who was your favorite 'Oh Boy'? Huh?" Ben asked fighting back his snickering.

Luna blushed harder. "…Dexter…" Ben burst out in laughter once more, this time putting his guitar down and actually falling to the floor. "Uh! So not funny, I was ten!" she said giving him a light kick in his side. "Alright chuckles! I told you mine, now you tell me yours!" she demanded.

Ben immediately stopped laughing. "I plead the-"

"Oh no dude! You're going to tell me who it was right now! Fess up!"

He sighed and sat up. "Alright, alright. I guess it's only fair. So when I was little I kind of had a crush on that band from Japan. Puffy AmiYumi," he admitted looking down shyly.

Luna scoffed. "That Pop Rock band? Wow. They made pretty good music and stuff, but you seriously had a crush on them?" she asked. "I didn't know Ben Brittle was a sucker for the Asian persuasion. Not that I'm judging or anything."

"I was big on Japanese culture back then. Anime and whatnot. Then I see those two come along and my young heart was stolen. I drove my bros crazy with their stuff. But yeah, they were my first kid crush I guess. They were hot."

Luna shook her head. "Typical. All little boy crushes are about looks."

"Oh, and yours wasn't?"

"Not completely. Dexter was the smart one."

"Oh, he was the smart one huh?" he asked smirking. "I'm sure that made all the difference."

Luna once again kicked him. "Shut up. Unlike guys girls interest actually mature when we get older. Guys just keep on focusing on how pretty girls are."

"Hey, not _all_ guys are like that."

"Okay then, _most_ of em."

Ben smirked. "Yeah, I guess most of them do. But since you're so mature now, who's the lucky guy you got your sights set on?" Luna paused for a moment, as if she was lost in thought. Ben raised an eyebrow.

She looked down with a blush. "I'm… not telling," she said. Ben was confused. Had he stumbled onto something personal? "I will tell you about another guy I had a crush on. It wasn't serious or anything. Me and my sisters just fell for him hard. This college dude named Hugh."

"All your sisters? Like at once?" How the hell…?" She pulled up her phone and showed a picture of him. "Oh, so you just carry of picture of him around all the time?"

Luna nodded. "Lisa saved all our pics of him. Dude, look at him. He's a total dream boat. And he had this cute British accent too," she said giddily. "He was tutoring Lincoln and we kind of kept distracting them. It's a wonder he didn't speed out of there first time we mobbed him."

Ben rolled his eyes. "He doesn't look that handsome."

Luna smirked. "Well, don't you sound jealous," she said.

The Brittle boy scowled. "I am _not_ jealous."

"You're totally jealous."

"I am not!"

Luna giggled, and Ben pouted. She reached forward and pinched his cheek. "Aw, don't be upset bro. For what it's worth I think you're the cute one out of your brothers."

He looked at her surprised. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," she answered simply. "Why do you seem so surprised by that?"

He got back up and shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, usually all the girls are looking at Bruno and Bruce. Bruno is the superstar athlete. A beast in every sport and an all-around nice guy off the field. Bruce has got that strong and silent thing going for him. But I don't even know if he pays attention to girls. Or guys. Hell, for all I know he's asexual."

Luna hummed. "Well, I hear a lot of girls are into the dorky musicians too," she said. "Chicks also dig a guy who can cook. Make a few more of those desserts of yours and you'll have girls all over you."

Ben scoffed. "Dorky? I think you meant awesome."

"I know what I said Brittle. Now, it's your turn again. Who do you think is the cute one between all the Loud sisters?" she asked with a mischievous look on her face.

"Lily," Ben answered without missing a beat. He knew this would pop up at some point, and he'd been prepared.

Luna groaned. "C'mon dude, that is such a cop out answer. You know what I meant. Which one of us do you think is like… the most _attractive_?"

Ben scratched his head. There probably wasn't a right answer to this, but she wasn't going to leave him alone until he gave one. "Uh… you I guess."

Luna rolled her eyes. "You don't have to say me just because I said-"

"I'm not. I think you're the cutest. I mean Lori and Leni are pretty hot, not that you aren't too, but you got that wild rocker thing going for you. The type of girl who you can chill and knock back a beer with I guess."

She looked at him surprised. "Oh… thanks."

"You're welcome…"

The two sat there awkwardly. They had been having a normal conversation, just sharing some interest. But now it had dawned on them that they had just essentially said they'd found the other attractive. Where did they go from there? "Uh… so…"

The both of them suddenly turned their heads when they heard the door knob turning. Both of them quickly stood up. They knew the music teacher was at lunch now, but they weren't sure if they were allowed to be here. Should they hide? Make up something? The door opened as a boy walked in.

He looked around their age and had curly sandy brown hair that covered his eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with a music note on it, a green worn out jacket with a few patches in it, faded blue jeans, and brown sandals. Ben put his hand over his heart. "Man, you scared the crap out of us," he said looking relieved.

"S-sorry mate..." the boy said nervously.

Luna let out a sigh. She was used to her sister Lucy sneaking up on her all the time, but she had no idea who this kid was. "No problem I guess. So… who are you? Did you need something?"

"Oh, right. My name is Oliver. Oliver Osman. I'm the water boy for the football team," he explained. "I met ya brother. The one with all the muscles. He told me you were trying to start a band or something. I don't know if the spots already filled, but if you need a drummer I think I might be able to do it… maybe..." he said in a thick Australian accent.

Both Luna and Ben shared a look. For some reason they had never considered someone actually coming to them to join. "You want to join our band?"

He looked hesitant. "Um… I guess. I mean I think it's than be being the bloody water boy."

"Give us a second…" Luna and Ben both turned around and got into a small huddle. "So… I was not expecting this at all. Should we just let him join?" he asked.

"Well, seeing as it's just us two I don't think we can be too picky dude…" Luna said.

"But we don't know if he's any good," Ben reasoned.

"You're right. We should have him audition or something."

"I can still hear you blokes…" Oliver said.

Ben and Luna turned back around. Luna cleared her throat. "Okay dude, we decided that we're gonna give you an audition to see what you got," she said.

"I heard…" Oliver deadpanned.

Ben pointed towards the drum set. "Okay man, let's hear it."

Oliver nodded and made his way to the drum set. He picked up the sticks and sat down. "Uh… what should I play?" he asked.

"Anything. It's your show bro. And don't be afraid to sing too. Wanna know if you got the pipes to go with the musical skills," Luna said.

He nodded, still looking nervous. "Okay, I'll do my best." He took a deep breath and then lifted the sticks, tapping them together before he began playing. Ben and Luna's eyes shot open as they saw how fast he was playing. They both knew how to play the drums, and they were both fairly good at it. But this kid obviously have them beat. They could barely see his hands.

" _ **From the darkness…**_

" _ **Strong and silent,"**_

" _ **Like pillars in the night they break the dawn,"**_

" _ **Hungry and violent,"**_

Ben and Luna shared another glance. This kid could sing, and his accent was completely gone to. "Whoa…"

" _ **Scarlet rain falls,"**_

" _ **Hot and heavy,"**_

" _ **Show me that you've got the strength to fight,"**_

" _ **Boy are you ready?"**_

Luna suddenly lifted her guitar and began playing along with him. Oliver looked surprised for a moment, but kept playing.

" _ **And so may love guide your way,"**_

" _ **Through every last endless triaaaaal"**_

" _ **Always tempt your fate with luck and a smiiiiile,"**_

Ben lifted his own guitar and started playing as well, the three almost immediately falling in sync as the song began reaching its peak.

" _ **Watch, out, for danger left and right!"**_

" _ **It's just like dancing in the dark!"**_

" _ **You slip through like a knife and cut your way right to the heart!"**_

" _ **Let your path unfurl and the world will always sing your stooooory!"**_

" _ **Like a bloody storm!"**_

" _ **It surges like a bloody storm!"**_

" _ **When destiny runs through your veins so wild and wet and warm!"**_

" _ **Fate may pull the strings and who knows what tomorrow brings!"**_

" _ **But toniiiiight,**_

" _ **We stand together!"**_

The song finished and he looked towards them nervously. Both Luna and Ben were smiling towards him. "Uh… how did I do?"

"Are you kidding me?! Dude, you rock!" Luna said excitedly.

Ben nodded in agreement. "Seriously. I thought I was a good drummer. How are you not already part of a band already? What have you been doing as a water boy?"

"I guess I just never really had the chance to play before," Oliver said.

"Well you're gonna have plenty of chances now!" Luna said putting an arm around his neck.

"Wait, so does this mean I'm in?" Oliver asked confused.

"Duh!" Ben said moving next to them. "Congratulations, you're the third member of… wow, I just realized we do not have a name…" he said

A look of realization hit Luna. "Oh man, you're right. I haven't even thought about a name… we should probably work on that."

"Yeah. Later. For now we celebrate the moment! Welcome to the band Olly! You undiscovered gem of a drummer you!" Ben said putting him in a playful headlock.

The brown haired boy looked up in awe. "Olly...?" He'd never had a nickname before.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Hopped you liked this chapter. I tried to add a little more with the Brittle brothers and Loud siblings in it. But I also wanted to start getting this band going to. So, we have our first new member Olly! We'll get to know him better in the following chapters along with Ben and Luna. Tell me what you guys think of him so far!**

 **Reviewer Responses! There's technically been four since last time(two from the same person) and since I didn't do responses for the Omake, but Ill just respond to it all here.**

 **HardWrapping: Thanks again for the kind words man. I'm not a big fan of Fairy Tail either, but they have a pretty good OST. And yes, there's a little more drama going on with the Brittle family then meets the eye. But that'll be for another day. Thanks!**

 **lttlgreg: Thanks for reviewing, and glad you like the story for far. I wanted their friendship to seem natural, so when it does grow into something more it doesn't seem forced. I'm still not sure whether I want to end this with heartbreak or love for Ben. It's a toss up. But there will be some romantic tension between them.**

 **SizzlR: Pfft, Crimp as Tony Stark. That made me laugh. I didn't really think about a voice for Ben/Crimp, but it sounds like kind of a good fit in my head now. Glad you liked the bonus chapter! They'll be more to come.**


	9. Omake 2: Ben the Knight

**A/N: Another Omake! This one is a Medieval AU! Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

The kingdom of Royal Woods was known for many things. Having a kind and gracious ruler, having some of the most loyal and formidable guards and soldiers in the land, and having an overwhelming trust and love from its people. But without a doubt, the most famous thing it was known for were the royal children.

It wasn't just the children themselves, but the sheer amount of them. It was expected for any ruler to have numerous heirs to takeover once they were gone. But whereas most settled for two or three, King and Queen Loud ended up with eleven. The people have thought once their sixth child Prince Lincoln was born that they would stop. But that hadn't been so.

With ten princess and one prince, most would think there would be a lot of tension within the royal family. But while there was bickering at some points, the family seemed unified. The people knew it, and they felt safe under their protection.

But just because there was no real threat didn't mean there was nothing to do. Ben Brittle had plenty on his place as a personal guard. All of the younger princesses had been assigned a personal body guard, which was another word for babysitter.

Ben had been assigned to Princess Lana. She was a messy tomboyish little thing. Nothing he'd imagined a princess to be like, but far from the worst he could have been assigned to. In fact, he actually enjoyed her company. It was like having a little sister, which was a refreshing change from all his brothers. "Okay, widen your feet a little…"

Lana held her practice sword up and pointed it towards him. She slid her feet apart a little. "Like this?" she asked gripping the sword tightly.

He nodded. "Good." Technically he wasn't supposed to be teaching the princess sword fighting… well, at least he didn't think he was supposed to. The king hadn't specifically told him anything, but Lana had asked him to keep it a secret, so he was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to be doing it.

But he couldn't really resist when she asked him something. The messy little thing had a way of coercing him into just about anything. She jabbed at him with her sword, but he easily blocked it. The little blond kept up the attack, not trying to give him an opening. "Nice thrust, but don't forget…" he moved to the side and grabbed her wrist before pulling her forward. He tapped her head with his sword. "You have to keep a guard up to."

Lana pouted. "Okay! Okay! I got it this time!" she said raising her sword again. He smirked and signaled for her to come. Lana charged with another thrust. This time however after he blocked, she began swinging at his feet.

Ben looked surprised, but managed to step back. He smiled. "Good, nice job using your height to your advantage," he said before swing back. Lana blocked it, but was sent stumbling back. "If you don't think you can block, dodge," he instructed.

She ducked under his next strike and swing at his side. Ben moved, and with one quirk flick of his wrist Lana's sword was sent flying out of her hand. Ben poked her lightly with his own sword before smirking. "Got you," he said chuckling.

Lana pouted. "No fair. I don't know how to do that…"

"Well, that's why I'm teaching you," he said patting her on the head. "Don't worry, you're doing pretty well so far. Give it time, and you'll be the most battle hardened princess in the land."

Lana pumped her fist. "Yeah!"

"Looks like you two are having fun."

They turned around and both gasped. It was Luna. Lana looked nervous as Ben knelt down onto the ground. "Your highness," he said bowing his head. Ben wasn't that familiar with the older princesses. They were usually busy with their studies or other royal duties. The only one he really saw much out of them was Lynn, and that was because she was always skipping.

"You can stand," she said casually.

Ben stood up trying to hide her nervousness. He glanced over at Lana who was looking down worried. Yep, she was not supposed to be doing this. "Hey sis…" Lana greeted.

Luna patted her on the head before looking at Ben. "You were teaching her how to fight. Pretty sure my dad wouldn't approve," she said bluntly. "You both could get in a lot of trouble for doing this you know."

Ben sighed. "My apologies your highness, but please don't blame Lana. She's just a kid. I should have known better than to-"

"But like I say, nothing you can't get in trouble for is really worth doing," Luna said with a smirk. Both Ben and Lana looked up at her surprised. "Don't worry, I don't plan on telling dad. And you guys can keep on with your practice. As long Sir Brittle over here does something for me anyway."

Lana let out a sigh while Ben raised an eyebrow. "Anything!" Lana said quickly.

Ben looked at her in disbelief. "Seriously…?" Lana looked at him and shrugged. Ben sighed. There was really no point in arguing about this. The Loud sister tended to always get what they wanted without really demanding it. "What can I do for you your highness?"

"You know there's a tournament coming up for my brother's name day don't you?" Luna asked. He nodded. Everyone knew about the upcoming tournament. Though he and his brothers never really had any interest fighting in them, they enjoyed watching. "Well I want you to fight in it on my behalf."

His eyes widened. "What?"

Luna smiled. "You're going to enter the tournament, and hopefully win, in on my behalf," she repeated. "I've seen you fight. I don't think it should be too hard for you right?"

"But why?" Ben asked.

Luna suddenly frowned. "Because, I'm tired of every single tournament getting won by Bobby!" she said shaking her fist. Lana also groaned. "He wins every time, and then he goes on this long speech about how much he loves Lori and dedicated he is to her. And she just sits there and soaks it up and it's AWFUL! I'm not having it this time."

"Wait, you want me to enter just so I can beat Bobby? That's insane!"

"You don't think you could beat him?" Luna asked.

Lana waved her hand. "Pfft, of course he could beat him! Ben is the best!" she said looking up at him, admiration clear in her eyes.

Ben scratched his head. He really appreciated how Lana looked up to him most of the time, but this was not one of them. While he was pretty sure he could beat Bobby, he just didn't want to. While he didn't know Lori personally, he'd heard how furious and terrifying he was from talking to Lincoln.

The last thing he wanted was to paint a target on his back by embarrassing her betrothed in public. It's the same reason his brothers hadn't bothered entering either. "I don't think it's a good idea-"

Luna put her hands together and gave him a pleading look. "C'mon, please? I'm begging you! I can't sit through another one of his declarations of love!"

Lana quickly joined her. "Yeah, my ears will fall off if I have to sit through another dumb poem! Please Ben?" she asked grabbing her shirt and jumping up and down.

Ben looked at the both of them. As if Lana giving him that look wasn't enough, her sister had to join in too. He sighed. "I'll do it…"

"YES!"

Both sister's grabbed him into a hug, causing his face to turn red. "I-I'm gonna have to hold off on training you though Lana. To prepare and everything…" he said.

"It's fine. As long as you don't let Bobby win I could care less," she said excitedly. "I'm still wanna watch though. I'm gonna see exactly how you knock him on his butt!"

"I'm really in your debt Ben. If you pull this off I will officially owe you a royal favor," Luna said before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

She turned and walked off, leaving a stunned Ben behind. Lana looked up at him curious before shaking his arm. "Ben…? Ben? Are you okay? Wake up!" she said kicking him.

"OW!"

"You were zoning out," Lana said crossing her arms.

"I was…? Oh. Well, I should probably get practicing," he said heading off.

She followed after him. "Can I help?" she asked eagerly.

He shook his head before picking her up and setting her on his shoulders. "Sorry kid, but if I'm going to get ready to fight in a tournament I'm going to need to some real fighters to train with," he explained.

She tilted her head. "More of the guards? Your brothers?"

"The other guards aren't quite up to snuff, and my brothers are busy with the rest of your sisters. No, we're going to go see my aunt…"

"Cool!"

* * *

 **A/N: I'll do the Reviewer responses to this and the last chapter next update! Leave a review!**


	10. Sharing Secrets

If there was one thing Ben Brittle could give Royal Woods, it was that they were a pretty proud and tightknit community. While he knew what school spirit could do for a town, he had never imagined that so many people would show up for a single football game. The bleachers were completely filled, and there were people who brought their own chairs just to sit on the sides and watch the game.

Some people brought coolers and small grills to cook food, and everyone seemed pretty familiar with one another. It was kind of nice actually.

But what was even more amazing was that there were just as many people on the opposite end. The supporters for the Hazeltucky Hockers were shouting just as fiercely as those of Royal Woods, and the game hadn't even started yet. His old school had their rivalries, but he wasn't sure anything matched this.

"Is this… is this normal?" he asked.

Luna, who sat beside him along with most of the Loud and Brittle siblings, nodded. "Yeah, the town tends to get pretty heated when it comes to sports. Especially against the Hockers," she explained.

"Yeah! Let's go! We're going to crush you stupid Hazelnuts into the dirt!"

Luna looked behind her and raised an eyebrow. "Dude, is that-"

"That's my aunt yes," Ben said trying to ignore her shouting. She hadn't even been here a month and she was acting like she was born here. He knew it was only because Bruno and Bruce were playing, but still. "You're going to hear a lot of that… in fact, you might want to text your mom and tell her to cover Lily's ears."

"You could say your aunt as a _Foul_ mouth, get it?" Luan said leaning towards them.

"Wrong sport Luan," Lynn said rolling her eyes.

"Aw c'mon, cut her some _sack_ ," Beck said chuckling.

Ben narrowed his eyes at them. "Did you seriously set that up?" he asked in disbelief. They both started chuckling. Ben sighed and looked back down towards the field. He could see Oliver carrying out a large water dispenser. "You know I have three classes with that kid. I just never noticed him before. That's so weird right?" Ben asked.

"I've been here my whole life and never noticed him," Luna countered. "I guess he just doesn't like standing out. Or maybe he's just shy or something. We should make sure we hang with him outside of practice. He seems like a pretty cool dude."

Ben nodded. "Yeah… oh hey, there they are…" Bruno and Bruce had taken off their helmets and were walking to the middle of the field. "Crap, it's time."

"Yes! It's time!" the twins cheered.

Beck pumped his fist. "Show time."

The Loud siblings looked at them confused. "Time for what?" Luan asked. They didn't answer. Instead the brothers just pulled out some kind of paint and slide it across their cheeks, making a red and yellow line on each side.

Luna looked at them with a smirk. "No way, you guys are seriously going to do it?" she asked.

He sighed. "Just… don't laugh okay? It's a culture thing, so you can't laugh." They got up and headed towards the front of the bleachers.

"Be back in a sec ladies," Beck said bowing.

"Now you get to see how real warriors prepare for battle!" Brady said excitedly.

Many of the spectators looked confused as they saw the brothers making their way down. They all stood side by side at the bottom of the stairs. Ben cracked his neck. "It's been a while since we've done this. You all remember the steps right?"

Beck scoffed. "Of course. You just try and keep up. Ready to put on a show?" Beck asked smirking towards the twins.

"So ready!" Billy cheered.

"Super ready!" Brady shouted.

Bruno took a deep breath before suddenly shouting out. "SAMOA!" Each of the Brittle brothers stomped their foot forward and stuck a pose. Bruno continued to shout out, slapping his knees and elbows as he continued to stomp about.

" _Tatou o e tau le taua!_

 _Tau e matua tau!_

 _Fai ia mafai!_

 _Le Manu!_ "

Suddenly all of the Brittle brothers began yelling out and following the exact same movements as Bruno. They sung along following the eldest Brittle's lead.

" _Sau ia!_

 _Le Manu Samoa e ua malo ona fai o le faiva_

 _Le Manu Samoa e ua malo ona fai o le faiva_

 _Le Manu Samoa lenei ua ou sau_

 _Leai se isi Manu oi le atu laulau_

 _Ua ou sau nei ma le mea atoa_

 _O lou malosi ua atoatoa_

 _Ia e faatafa ma e soso ese_

 _Leaga o lenei manu e uiga ese_

 _Le Manu Samoa_

 _Le Manu Samoa_

 _Le Manu Samoa e o mai I Samoa_

 _Le Manu!_ "

They finished with once final pose and a mighty shout into the air. The Royal Wood's crowd let out a loud cheer and applauded as the brothers' battle chant came to an end. Bruno and Bruce bumped fist before returning to the sidelines, while the four younger brothers returned to their seats, getting pats on the back and compliments as they did.

"Dude, that was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. If the other team wasn't freaking out before, they gotta be now," Luna said.

Ben smirked and shrugged. "Well, it is a war dance. If it doesn't intimidate a little then we're not doing our job."

"You guys sure were En- _chanting_!" Luan said elbowing Beck who laughed. The others all groaned. "Aw c'mon, you have to give me that one."

"Well, I think that joke was a _touchdown_ ," Ben complimented.

More groans followed as the teams both made their way onto the field. They did the coin flip, which the Roosters won, and Bruno and Bruce unsurprisingly were both starting. Lynn looked excited. "Man! I can't wait to get back at those stinking Hockers! I hope your brother's totally crush them!"

Beck chuckled. "They will. Both figuratively, and literally…"

" _Ladies and gentleman, if you are just tuning in you have missed one heck of a game so far! I'm here watching the Royal Woods Roosters go up against the Hazeltuckey Hockers, and it has been one of the most intense back and forth of any high school game I've had the pleasure of announcing!_ "

" _Until recently it looked as if the game was over. The Hockers having a two touchdown lead at the start of the fourth quarter and in possession of the ball. But after an unbelievable interception made by Bruce Brittle and two amazing rushes by his brother Bruno Brittle, the Roosters have managed to even up the game!_ "

"WOOO! Those are my boys! You flatten those Hazeltuckey Hacks!"

Ben ran his hand over his face as he listened to his aunt shout. He knew she was excited, and even he would admit he was pretty invested in the game. But did she really have to make so much noise? "Wow, you weren't kidding. She's really going for it," Luna said.

"Auntie has always been supportive of us. Just maybe a little too much sometimes," Beck said looking just as embarrassed as Ben. A breeze went by and he saw Luan shiver. "Ah, it is starting to get a little chilly. I get so used to coming to their late night games I just bring a jacket everywhere. Here, take it," he said taking off his jacket.

"Are you sure?" Luan asked.

He put it around her shoulder. "Of course. It's just the gentlemanly thing to do you know," he said looking proud of himself. Another breeze came by and he shivered slightly, but he quickly tried to play it off. Luan giggled.

Ben glanced at Luna and noticed she had her arms crossed as well. He sighed as he took his own jacket off. "Man…" He threw his jacket around her and she looked at him surprised.

"I'm not-"

"You're shivering, and my aunt will kill me if that idiot actually acted like a gentleman and I didn't. Besides, can't have you getting sick before opening day," he said.

She stared at him for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Thanks I guess…"

The twins looked towards Lynn. "What?" she asked annoyed.

"I ain't given up my jacket," Brady stated.

"Me neither," Billy added.

Lynn scowled. "I didn't ask for either of your jackets you mutton heads."

"I could use a jacket," Leni said raising her hand. Both the twins quickly held their jackets out towards her, both with goofy smiles on their faces. "Aw, thanks you guys. So sweet."

Ben and Beck looked at them shocked. Did the twins just… show chivalry? They didn't know if it was because they had fallen for Leni, or were just trying to spite Lynn. "Touchdown!"

The crowd cheered and they all looked down to see Bruno strutting around the end zone like a rooster. "Wow, your brothers are literally on fire today," Lori said amazed.

"Today? They're always like this. I don't think there's a sport Bruno can't dominate," Beck said shrugging his shoulders dramatically. "And so we're stuck living in their superstar shadows. Such is the fate of the younger Brittle brothers."

Though he was obviously joking, Luan spoke up anyway. "Well for what it's worth, I think you're the _high card_ of the Brittle brothers."

Beck smiled back at her. "And you milady are the _Ace_ of the Loud siblings," he complimented.

"I'd prefer being the _joker_ , but-"

Ben suddenly stood up. "You know what, as much as I love sitting here and listening to you two flirt with each other with puns, I'm going to go get a snack."

Luan and Beck both blushed. "We weren't flirting!"

"Are you serious? I'm probably the most romantically challenged person here, but even I can tall that's like the most blatant flirting I've ever seen. But whatever. Anybody want anything? I'm buying." he asked ignoring the rest of their protest.

"Hot dogs!" the twins yelled.

"I could go for some peanuts," Lincoln said.

"Hot dog please!" Lynn said.

"Three hot dogs and a bag of peanuts. Got it." He made his way down the bleachers and towards the small stand the school had set up for snacks and the like.

He bought everyone's things and got a hotdog for himself. "Lucky you kid, you got the last one," the man running the stand said.

Ben smirked was about to thank him, but he heard somebody behind him sigh. "Aw man…" he heard someone mutter behind him. He turned around saw a girl standing behind him. She was blonde, and had blue highlights in her hair. She wore white shirt, a light blue jacket, purple jeans, and dark purple boots.

He turned back to the guy running the stand and sighed. "Ugh, give me some nachos," he said handing him a few more dollars. He turned around towards the girl and handed her his hotdog. "Here, you can have this one."

The girl looked at him wide eyed. "What? Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's cool. I was in the mood for nachos anyway."

The girl took the hotdog from him and smiled. "Thanks man… hey, weren't you one of the guys who was dancing in the stands earlier?" she asked.

Ben flinched slightly. "Uh… yeah. That's a Samoan thing…"

"Well, I thought it was pretty cool. Really got the crowd hyped up," she said before holding her hand out. "By the way, I'm Sam, nice to meet you."

He reached out and shook it. "Ben, Ben Brittle," he introduced.

Sam looked at him in thought for a moment. "Oh, I thought you looked familiar. You're one of the new kids. The one who made the round pancakes."

"Is that what I'm known for now? Being the brother who made pancakes?"

"To be fair I heard they were _really_ good pancakes," she complimented.

"Yo Ben!"

They both turned and saw Luna coming towards them. "They wanted me to come and tell you to hurry up with the… Sam," she said suddenly freezing in her tracks.

The blonde smiled and waved at her. "Hey Luna," she said before looking between the two of them. "So wait, you guys know each other?" she asked.

Luna laughed shyly, which Ben was pretty surprised at. If there was one thing he was absolutely sure Luna Loud wasn't, it was shy. "Well, you know. We met when he moved into town…"

"She totally crushed me in Guitar Gladiators," Ben said bluntly.

"Oh yeah, I did hear one of you guys took the top score in the arcade for a bit. Even heard you two faced off. Not many people can say they went toe to toe with Luna Loud in that game," Sam said impressed.

Luna blushed at the compliment, and Ben raised an eyebrow. "Well, it wasn't exactly easy. Ben is pretty good too," she said rubbing her arm.

"I'll bet. So, you guys here together?" the blonde asked.

Ben and Luna both looked confused, until it hit them. They had been hanging out pretty much every day, coming and going to school together, and she was still wearing his jacket. Seeing them standing right next to each other right now they kind of looked like…

"Wait, no way!"

"It's not like that!"

"We're not together! Not a chance!"

"Yeah, I mean me and her?!" Luna turned towards him with narrowed eyes. Ben realized what he'd just said and quickly tried to correct himself. "Not that I wouldn't mind it! I mean you're a total babe and stuff, so if we were dating then I'd be stoked, but we're not and we never would and I can't stop talking, please make me-!"

Luna elbowed him in his side, nearly causing him to drop the food. "Sorry dude, but that was getting way too uncomfortable…"

Ben groaned. "No, you made the right call… thank you…"

Sam covered her mouth the keep from laughing at the two. "Well, either way you guys seem like you… get along well," she said clearly amused by the two.

Ben sighed. "I hope so. Otherwise we're gonna end up totally humiliating ourselves tomorrow…" he muttered.

Sam looked at him confused. "Tomorrow?" she asked.

"Oh. My aunt's café is opening tomorrow and we're going to be playing on stage."

"You guys are forming a band? Wow, that's awesome. Why didn't tell me Luna?" Sam asked.

Luna laughed nervously. "I-I guess I just forgot. I mean it's not like it's anything major. We're just doing a few jams for the costumers, you know…" Ben looked at her in utter disbelief. Luna had been amped up about this whole thing since day one. She was the one who _started_ it!

"Well, I'm definitely gonna swing by and check it out. Especially if it means I get to taste those legendary pancakes," she said winking at Ben.

He smiled. "I'll save a batch just for you," he said giving her a thumbs up.

Sam turned and began leaving. "I'm holding you too that! Catch you guys later then!"

When she left, Luna let out a sigh of relief. She then looked up and saw Ben staring at her. "Uh, what's up?" she asked looking worried.

"What the heck was that?" he asked in disbelief.

She smiled innocently. "What was what?"

"You! The whole being nervous thing. Is there something up with you and her? Is she like your secret rival or something? I can't act like I've known you that long, but that just seemed… weird for you," he said looking a little concerned.

Luna waved him off. "I-it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"It didn't seem like nothing. The way you were acting it seemed like you had a… wait…" he looked down towards Luna who was looking pretty pale right now. "Luna, are you… are you… I mean are you… playing for the other team?" He phrased. He didn't want to ask it directly. Not in front of all these people. Especially not if it was a secret.

The girl stood there for a few moments. Then she grabbed his shirt and started dragging him away. Ben was surprised, but followed her. They went far behind the bleachers where she was pretty sure no one would hear them. She turned towards Ben looking frantic. "I… I'm…"

"You're gay," Ben finished for her.

She looked down embarrassed. "Bi…" she corrected.

Ben stood there for a few seconds. "Hmm… that's interesting."

She looked at him in disbelief. "That's it? Interesting? That's all you have to say?"

He held his hands up. "I guess? I mean how did you want me to react…? Scratch that, you clearly didn't want me to know so I guess you didn't want me to react at all. But still, I don't think it's that big a deal."

She looked confused for a few moments, and then sighed. "I guess you're right dude. I just… it's been a thing for a while now and you're the first person I… uh!" She ran her hands over her face. "I don't know. I just don't know man…"

Ben gave her a sympathetic look. He may not have thought this was a big thing, but clearly she did. It wasn't like he could know what it was like in her shoes right now. "So, you haven't told your family yet then?"

She quickly looked up at him. "No way! And you can't either!"

"Luna, I don't really know them that well, but I don't think they would-"

She reached up and grabbed his arm. "I'm not telling them. Not until… not until I'm ready. Promise me you won't say anything to anyone!"

"I think you're overreacting-"

"Promise me!" she said squeezing his arm tighter.

"Okay! Okay, I promise."

Luna kept staring at him for a few more seconds, then hung her head and sighed. "I'm sorry bro. I just… I know my parents and sibs wouldn't be like that. They'd love us no matter what. I just can't stop hearing this small part of me freaking out about it and I'm just…"

"Too scared to find out right?" he asked. She nodded. Ben did the only thing he could think of right now. He stepped forward and gave her a hug. She flinched at first, but then seemed to relax. "Sorry, you just looked like you could use a hug, you know?"

She chuckled. "Thanks…"

They stood there for a moment. Then a few more. Then Ben was pretty sure it was getting awkward. He stepped back and cleared his throat. "So, uh… I tried to blind myself when I was younger…" he said suddenly.

Luna looked up at him shocked. "You what?!"

Ben smirked nervously. "Didn't like seeing my mom's eyes whenever I looked in a mirror. Don't think my brothers did either. So I figured if I blinded myself nobody would have to look at them anymore. In hindsight it was kind of stupid."

"That was way beyond stupid dude! You were going to blind yourself just because you didn't like your eyes!" she said in disbelief. "You're nuts!"

"I was ten," he said shrugging his shoulders. "Auntie stopped me. But my brothers have no idea. Didn't want them to feel guilty about it so I never told them. She made me go to therapy for like a month though. Kind of sucked."

Luna frowned. "That's heavy dude…"

"Yeah. But now we both got a secret on each other," he said smiling. "We're even."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Dude, I'm nervous about coming out. You tried to physically impair yourself. I think yours just might be a little more worrisome."

"You know I thought this moment would play out a lot cooler in my head."

Luna elbowed him lightly. "Definitely not. But I appreciate it bro."

"No problem. And just so you know whenever you do decide to tell your family, I'll have your back no matter what happens. And that's a Brittle Brothers promise. Totally binding."

She smiled up at him. "Thanks… well, we should probably get back soon. The others will want to know where their grub is." The two began heading back towards their seats. "Oh, and by the way," she said turning back towards him. "I like your eyes just the way they are."

Ben blushed and turned his head away. "Uh, thanks…" With that the two headed back to their seats.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there you go guys! Another chapter, and one with a pretty big reveal. I was thinking of saving Ben finding out about Luna later, but that just seemed a bit too cliche. I also didn't want to make it too overdramatic either. I hope it came off smoothly. Let me know what you think.**

 **The next chapter will be finally be the opening. We'll get some more time with Olly too, since he's going to be a part of their group of friends. Now, time for some reviewer responses.**

 **0198: Nope, I wish I could write an original song that good! The song is called 'Bloody Stream'. It's an opening from the anime Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, but these were from an English cover of the song by a guy named Y. Chang. I really reccomend you check it out.  
**

 **Jonesy: Ask and you shall recieve! Yeah, I thought it was about time I at least introduce Sam into the story. I didn't want to seem like I was milking her appearance or anything. I'm a little worried about writing for her since she's had little to no air time though. But that should change with upcoming episodes since she's confirmed to reappear.**

 **tylerchavis97: Thanks for reading I'm glad you're enjoying the side story. And as for that suggestion, I think a Ninja AU would be awesome. You already got my creative juives flowing! Thanks for reding.**

 **lttlgreg: Yeah, I wanted to throw in some casual conversation with them, and that part just happened to pop up. Glad you enjoyed it though. Thanks for your support!  
**

 **HardWrapping: Thanks, though I felt like I was giving Olly the shaft this chapter. Introducing a character and then not really letting them get any air time. But I'd already set up the game so I knew I'd have to save it for next chapter. Also glad you like the bounus. I was going for a Game Of Thrones type deal. Though with much less killing and violence.**


	11. Bounus Chapter: Bruno Brittle

**Inner thoughts of Bruno Brittle!**

* * *

When people see me and my brothers, they tend to get the idea that I'm the boss. The de facto leader of the Brittle brothers. I guess that's true, in a way.

My father died when I was seven years old. The others don't remember it that well. The twins were just babies. Beck and Ben have vague memories of him. Bruce remembers I think, but he just doesn't seem to want to talk about it, and I don't want to pry.

But I remember clear as day. I remember bawling my eyes out. I remember my mother pretty much breaking. I remember how scared my brothers were when she left, and we were all alone.

I also remember my aunt, who gave up a promising career in MMA, struggling to raise the six of us. The rest of our family was just too old or just didn't want to be bothered with us. Well, we had a few uncles willing to take us in, but I don't think they were really fit to raise kids. Uncle Butch is a blast to hang with, but not an ideal role model…

Aunt Berta on the other hand was there for us in a heartbeat. She'd dropped everything. Her hopes, her dreams, just to take care of us. She never complained about it, at least not to our faces. She raised us like we were her own sons.

But she was still just nineteen when she took us in. Practically a child herself. The whole situation took its toll. Both on her, and on us.

There were times when food was a little scarce. Times we couldn't have what all the others kids got. New shoes, new clothes, and things like that. Auntie always worked her hardest, but there was only so much she could do. Still, we got by.

One way or another, the Brittles always get by.

I was the oldest. Everyone's big brother. And seven years old or not, I had to help to make sure my little brothers were ready to take on the world. Auntie couldn't hold us together on her own. She needed help. My help.

So I stood tall. Dad's death, mom's leaving, our poverty. I ignored all of it and put a smile on my face. I told my brothers everything would be okay and we'd be fine. I set the best example I could for them, and did everything one hundred percent.

Sports, grades, work. Anything that I knew they could look up to me for, I made an effort not just to be good, but the damn best. That's what they deserved.

I was the leader of the Brittle brothers. And when the time came to pick my tattoos, I went with the sun, which represents brilliance and leadership. I honestly felt a little arrogant going with that, but it's what my brothers _needed_ to see me as.

They, and auntie, _needed_ to look at me and know they had someone they could rely on. And it worked. My brothers had someone to lean on, and some of the pressure was taken off of auntie.

It wasn't always easy. My brothers seemed to get this idea I was invincible. That I could do anything and I was the answer to any problem we faced. Of course, I didn't tell them otherwise. I just went along with it. As long as it made things easier for them.

Bruce was the first to realize what I was doing, and he'd always had my back. He was never the most social, but he did what he could to help smooth things over. Keeping the twins out of trouble, being an open ear to Ben and Beck, helping out auntie in the kitchen.

I honestly think I might have broken down a long time ago without his help.

While Auntie pulled our little family of seven forward from the front, we pushed it from behind.

By this time next year I'll be eighteen years old, and off at college. My brothers won't have me to lean on anymore. At least not right then and there.

I used to be afraid. Scared of leaving them alone. Scared of not being there to catch them when they stumble.

But now when I look at them, I think I was just being stupid. My brothers are all doing just fine on their own. They don't need me to look after them anymore.

Bruce is starting to branch out. He's still obsessed with his robotics and computer programing, but he's not locked up in his room all the time anymore. Heck, he even comes out to read over comics with Lincoln and his friends. A bunch of eleven year olds wasn't the ideal buddy I had in mind for him, but I'm not complaining. I have to make sure to thank them for that later.

Ben is doing better too. He's really found his place with Luna and the rest of their band. He's always been hesitant about letting people close, so I'm really proud of him. And even if he doesn't realize it yet, I know he's smitten with a certain purple shirt wearing rocker. I hope they do something about that before I leave. I hate cliff hangers.

Beck is just as cocky as always, but his attitude is starting to get better. Once again I have the Loud sisters to thank for that. He's been showing a lot of maturity lately, especially when it comes to looking after the twins.

Speaking of the twins, they're the ones I'm the least worried about. They've always had each other, and as long as that stays the same they'll be fine no matter what. Though I have been noticing a begrudging respect for Lynn growing with them. The dynamic duo might be growing into a terrific trio.

And my aunt… well, she was tough enough to raise the six of us. I don't think there's anything that woman can't handle after something like that.

I'm proud and confident in my brothers and aunt. So when I do pack up and leave I know I won't have to worry. They're strong.

If they do really need me though, I'll come running, just like I always have. It's my job as a big brother after all. But I doubt it's going to come to that.

Whatever comes their way, they'll get by, with or without me.

That's what they do.

That's what _Brittles_ do...

* * *

 **A/N: Just a short I did to help you guys get to know Bruno Brittle a little better. I'll be doing one for all of the Brittle brothers, and possibly some of the other OC's in the story too.**

 **If anyone has ever seen the History and Lore videos they do for Game of Thrones, I was going for something like that. Just something to help get to know them and give a little backstory for the Brittles in general. Hope I at least came close. Let me know what you guys think!**


	12. Daring Debut

**A/N: Just a head's up for the song in this chapter. Both Luna and Ben are going to be singing, and since I didn't want to constantly have to stay when they were switching**

" **This means Ben is singing** "

 **"** _This means Luna is singing **"**_

 **" _This is them singing together_ "**

* * *

Ben sighed as he looked in the mirror and straightened his bow tie. As much as he and his brothers complained about it, he really didn't mind the uniform for the café. It was just a black shirt with some tribal grey patterns, some brown pants, and dress shoes. There was also a bow tie, which was the only part of it he hated.

He tugged at the tie on his neck. "Uh, I can never tie this thing correctly…" he muttered irritated. Brutus suddenly nudged his side before dropping one of his toys in front of him. "I don't have time right now Brutus. We have to work. We'll play later… and remember, stay on the second floor." He knew how some people felt with animals in a restaurant. He didn't want to chance it.

The dog whined and hung his head, but obeyed. Ben walked out, patting the canine on the head as he left. "Knock off that whining. I told you we'd play later. Promise." The dog seemed to brighten up some as Ben closed the door behind him. He made his way downstairs and saw his brothers already setting up the tables.

"Hey, where's auntie?" he asked the closest brother, which was Bruno.

The eldest Brittle brother chuckled. "Trouble with your tie?" he asked amused. "You know, at some point you're going to have to learn how to tie it on your own. Auntie won't always be around to do it for you."

Ben scowled. "Look, either tie this thing for me or tell me where auntie is."

"She's in the kitchen," he said setting another plate down. "But before you see her, you have some company." He pointed towards the door and Ben saw Luna and Oliver walking in.

Beck who was standing nearby smirked. "Your girlfriends here."

Ben scowled at him. Since they had both been gone for a while yesterday his brothers had suspected something had happened between them. They were technically right, but it wasn't even close to what they were thinking. Since he couldn't tell them what really had happened they just assumed he just didn't want to talk about it.

"Say a word and I'll shank you," he threatened. Beck made a zipping motion across his mouth, but was still clearly amused by how irritated his brother was.

Luna walked up towards them and smiled. "Sup dudes. I'm ready to rock."

Oliver offered a small wave. "H-hey. I'm Oliver," he said nervously. Everyone else here clearly knew each other, so he felt a little uncomfortable. Like the odd man out.

"So you're the new drummer huh? Can't wait to see what you guys do on the stage," Bruno said patting him on the back and nearly knocking the Australian off his feet.

Ben helped him steady himself. "Really glad you showed up man. It means a lot to us. Don't worry, since you didn't have any practice with us we'll try to keep it simple. Nothing too complicated."

"It's no big deal. I'm honestly just glad to be some help mate," he said.

Bruno put a hand on their shoulders. "You guys don't worry about setting the tables. Just work on the stage and start practicing. We can handle the rest."

Beck looked at him in disbelief. "Hey! I'm gonna be up there too! How come I don't get extra practice or something?!"

"Because you're a one man show, you don't need to set up the stage, and you practice like all the time. You made Bruce cough up a Joker this morning, remember?"

Bruce grunted and shot a glare towards his younger brother who chuckled. "Oh yeah, sometimes I forget I'm so awesome I don't need to practice." He started getting back to work.

Everyone else began helping out as well. Luna looked Ben up and down. "Nice threads dude. But you're looking loose in the neck department," she said gesturing toward his tie.

He sighed. "I could never tie these things right. Hold on, I gotta see my aunt."

"Don't sweat it, I got it," she said reaching up. She began tying up his bow tie.

Ben looked slightly surprised. "Where'd you learn to tie a bow tie?"

"Used to tie them for Lincoln when he was little," she explained.

They suddenly heard three snaps and quickly looked behind them. Berta was holding up a camera. "Got it!" Berta said smiling.

"Auntie!" Ben said turning red.

Berta shrugged. "What, you think I wasn't going to take pictures during the big opening. I'm making memories for us to enjoy way down the line."

He covered his face with his hand. "Can you please just do me a favor and strangle me with this thing. It'd save me a lot of embarrassment."

"You'll be fine dude," Luna said smirking. She finished the tie and hummed. "You nervous?"

He scoffed. "You kidding? I got Royal Woods greatest guitar player and drummer with me. I think I'm covered," he said confidently.

"Alright then, let's get ready to rock!" she said getting amped up. Suddenly her eyes widened and she grabbed his shoulders. "Oh man! I just remembered, we still haven't thought up of a name yet!"

Ben's eyes widened as well. "Crap, we didn't! I was so focused on the opening I forgot to even think of any names!" he said grabbing his head.

Oliver looked back and forth between them. "Do we really need a name?" he asked. He figured the point was just to play some music for the costumers.

"Of course we need a name dude! Every real band needs a name! Otherwise we're just a bunch of wannabes playing in a no name café!" Luna said panicking.

"Ouch…" Berta said looking hurt.

"We do have a name you know…" Beck said.

"Sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Luna said quickly. "I'm just saying we can't just go up without actually having a name. We gotta think of something dudes."

"How about… Hyper Sonic Renegades?" Ben offered.

Luna grabbed her chin in thought. "Uh… The Mega-Tone Daggers," she said.

"Screeching Wolves?"

"Power Chords?"

Oliver suddenly raised his hand. "Uh… I have a suggestion…" They both looked towards him curiously. They had almost forgotten he was here. "I mean, I've always kind of hoped of joining a band someday so I thought of a lot of names."

Ben and Luna shared a glance and then smiled towards him. "Sure Olly, go ahead and tell us what you got man," he said.

Oliver smiled.

* * *

After the doors opened the café was packed. Almost all of the costumers were kids from school, most of them girls. When Luna and Oliver saw the crowd coming in they had thought it would be too much for the brothers to handle and offered to help. But Berta assured them that it was fine, and she was right.

The six of them took orders, entertained the costumers, and delivered food without a single hint of trouble. They noted how each of the brothers were different in how they interacted with the costumers. Bruno was friendly and smiling, Bruce was silent and stoic but polite, Ben was a little nervous but courteous, Beck was cocky and flirty, and the twins were… the twins.

One thing was for sure though. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. "As promised, a plate of Samoan pancakes on me. Freshly made by yours truly," Ben said as he set the plate down. Luna, Oliver, Sam, and two of Sam's friends were sitting at one table. "Don't tell my aunt. She'll murder me."

"You are the man," Sam said before popping one of the round pastries in her mouth. The others reached forward and took some as well. Sam's face lit up as she ate hers. "Holy crap, this really does live up to the hype…" she said in disbelief.

"Dude, how are you guys not famous for these," one of Sam's friends said.

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "I-I don't think they're that good."

"They are," Olly said without hesitation.

Sam looked back up at him. "You're still single right? Cause if you can cook like this I might have to get down and propose right now," she joked.

Ben blushed and rubbed the back of his head, though he did notice Luna flinch for a moment. "I got to say, I'm flattered. But you could probably do better."

"You sure are humble man."

"Well, one of us has to be…"

Luna suddenly nudged him and pointed behind him. Ben looked back and saw his aunt nodding towards the stage. "Well, looks like it's time for us to rock. You guys ready?" Olly gulped, clearly nervous about this whole thing. Luna on the other hand looked excited.

"Let's bring the house down."

Ben made his way towards the stage as his aunt stepped up onto it. "Alright everybody, is everyone enjoying their food? Having a fun time?" she asked. The costumers all called out an affirmative answer, some of them even raising up their cups. "Good, wouldn't be a point if you weren't enjoying yourselves."

"Now here in the Le Fiafia we like to entertain while we serve you guys. So how about a little music to go with the atmosphere?" She held her hands out towards Ben, Luna, and Oliver. "Here to rock the stage and bring the house down, my nephew Ben Brittle, Luna Loud, and Oliver Osman, otherwise known as the **Stained Glass Bandits**!"

They clapped as the three made their way on the stage. His brothers and the Loud siblings were cheering loudly as they grabbed their instruments. Ben looked out towards everyone and felt a little nervous. He calmed himself, and then looked towards Luna and Olly who both nodded.

He took a breath. "1… 2… 3…!" The three all began playing suddenly. Ben soon began singing into the mike.

" **Some... say I have no direction,**

 **that I'm a light-speed distraction…**

 **but that's a knee-jerk reaction.** "

Luna stepped forward next to him and began singing.

" _Still this is the final frontier,_

 _Everything is so clear,_

 _To my destiny I steer._ "

They both smiled. Whatever nervousness either of them felt before had seemed to vanish the moment the song started. The costumers all seemed to be enjoying the show as well.

" **This life in the stars is all I've ever known.** "

" _Stars and stardust in infinite space is my only home._ "

Luna slid forward and began playing her guitar even faster as Ben kept singing.

" **But the moment that I hit the stage,**

 **Thousands of voices are calling my name!**

 **And I know in my heart it's been worth it all of the while!** "

" **And as my albums fly off of the shelves**

 **handing out autographed pics of myself!**

 **This life I chose isn't easy but sure is one heck of a ride!** "

Luna jumped back up next to him.

" _At the moment that I hit the stage,_

 _I hear the universe calling my name_

 _And I know deep down in my heart I have nothing to fear!_ "

" **And as the solar wind blows through my hair,**

 **knowing I have so much more left to share!**

 **A wandering spirit who's tearing its way through the cold atmosphere!** "

" _I'll fly high like a comet!_ "

" **Soar like a comet!** "

" _Crash like a comet!_ "

" _ **I'm just a comet!**_ "

They finished playing and both Luna and Ben began trying to catch their breath. Everyone immediately started cheering and clapping for the three. They both wore wide smiles on their faces. Practicing the songs had gone smoothly before, but actually playing them on stage with everyone cheering for them was nothing short of an absolute rush.

"Whoa! That was awesome!"

"You guys rock!

"Encore!"

Ben and Luna turned and high fived each other before turning around and doing the same with Olly. Berta clapped as she stepped back up to the stage. "Wow, now that was amazing. At least I thought it was amazing. What did you guys think?"

Once again everyone in the café cheered and whistled in applause. "Well, if you want to see more of the Glass Bandits be sure to keep coming by. They'll be playing here regularly. And now we have another show for you guys. You want to see some mind blowing card tricks…?"

Ben and the others stepped off the stage as Beck began making his way up. As they walked back towards their table people complimented Luna turned towards him, still looking giddy. "I can't believe it dude! We totally brought the house down!"

"You totally did," Sam said. "Did you write it yourself?"

Luna pointed towards him. "Ben did. He's like a lyrical genius or whatever," she said putting an arm around Ben and Oliver's necks. "And Oliver came up with the name. Killer right?"

Ben and Oliver both blushed slightly at the compliment. "Benjamin, your show is over, get back to work!" his aunt called suddenly.

He sighed and turned to leave. "Well, I better get back to work…"

"It's cool dude. We'll hang after you shift is over," Luna said giving him a punch on the arm.

"Catch you later," Olly said waving.

Sam and her friends bid him goodbye as well as he made his way back towards the kitchen. He looked back and saw Luna chatting with Sam. A smile made its way across his face. He felt glad she was able to talk to her… he also felt something else. A little twinging feeling in his gut. He wasn't sure what it was… maybe he was just hungry.

* * *

Ben grumbled as he dried the dishes at the sink. He couldn't believe he'd gotten stuck with dish duty. The café was closed up, and everyone was heading home. His brothers were cleaning out front, which wouldn't take too long. But unless one of them came back to help him with the dishes he didn't know how long he could be stuck here.

"Need some help dude?"

He looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Luna and Oliver standing nearby. "You guys are still here?" he asked. He'd seen Sam and her friends head out a while ago. He had assumed they'd go with them. It was Friday. They had the whole weekend ahead of them. Why would they stay?

Olly smiled. "Well, we were waiting for you so we could head out together, but then your aunt said you were on dish duty. So we figured we'd stay behind and help."

Ben smiled. "Thanks guys. But you don't have to do that. You don't work here or-"

"We play here, and your aunt said she's going to start paying us to play," she said as she held up a few dollar bills. "So technically we do work here. And it'd be totally bogus if we just left you with all the hard labor. We got your back bro."

They stood next to him and grabbed some towels and wash clothes. "I wash, you dry, Olly can put them away," Luna said as she began scrubbing a plate.

Ben stared at the two of them, and then smirked. "I really don't want this to come out as too sappy, but you guys are pretty awesome friends."

"Totally failed. That was sappy," Luna teased.

"We're friends? But you barely know me?" Oliver said.

"And yet you're still here helping me wash dishes. So I'm counting you as a friend."

"Wow… thanks…" Oliver sniffled slightly and wiped his nose with his thumb.

"Dude, are you crying…?" Luna asked.

"No…" Olly said scowling.

"Really? Cause you look like your crying," Ben said.

"Shut up, I'm not crying… you're crying…"

Luna and Ben both chuckled as Olly wiped his eyes. The three started getting to work. "So Olly, you seemed to break out of your shell today. You and Sam's friend were chatting it up for a while. Didn't know you were such a smooth talker."

Olly shrugged. "I guess she's nice. But I have a girlfriend."

Luna laughed teasingly. "Yeah you ladies' man, you- Wait what?!" she suddenly asked surprised. Both she and Ben looked at him in total disbelief. "Did you just say you have a girlfriend?!"

Olly nodded his head, not even seeming to register their surprise. It wasn't that they didn't think Olly could get a girlfriend, it was just… okay, maybe they didn't think he could get one. He seemed to shy and reserved. He didn't seem like he could hold a conversation in most social situation, let alone chat it up with a girl. But apparently they were both wrong.

"Yeah. She couldn't come tonight since she had some family stuff to take care off, but saw the video someone uploaded and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ben said waving his hand. "Put a pin in that girlfriend thing because we're definitely circling back to that. But someone uploaded us?"

"I guess we were in a café full of teens. Someone was bound to record us," Luna said as she pulled out her phone. She started looking up the video and grew wide eyed when she found it. "Wow… that's a lot of views from just a few hours…"

Ben and Olly stood next to her and looked at the phone. "Whoa, that is a lot…" Ben said.

"Dude, if views keep pouring in like this we're totally gonna be famous! Or at least internet famous!" she said excitedly. "Not a bad way to start off a musical career, right?"

Ben wanted to say that they shouldn't be getting ahead of themselves. But honestly he was a little too excited right now. "I'll admit, this is pretty cool."

"You really think we could get famous or something?" Olly asked.

"Of course dude! I'm telling you, this is just the first step on the road to rock-stardom!" she said putting her arms around both their necks. "This is the start of something wicked!"

Both Jason and Olly smiled. "Yeah!" Olly said getting excited.

"Let's do it!" Ben cheered. "We can totally do this… after we do the dishes."

"Oh yeah…"

* * *

 **A/N: Okay! That's the end of the chapter! How did you guys enjoy it? I tried to help get the feel of the atmosphere for Le Fiafia. But there was a lot to add in and I wanted to focus the perfomance. So i'll focus on the cafe a bit more next chapter.**

 **And what was that weird feeling in Ben's gut? Signs of jealously perhaps? We'll just have to wait and see!  
**

 **Time for reviewer responses.**

 **Guest: Yeah, I didn't just want to have every Brittle brother fall for a Loud Sister. Ben and Beck are the only ones who'll have a (relistic) shot with one of the Loud sisters. The twins crush on Leni is more for comedic effect. They will have a relationship with Lynn later, but it won't be a romantic based one.**

 **tylerchavis97: Thank you! This is actually the first time I wrote a love triangle in any of my works, so I'm being careful not to screw it up(I usually how how they're portrayed in TV shows and movies). But I can't reveal how it'll turn out just yet. You'll just have to wait and see. And I'm working on the Nina AU as we speak! I really thought it was a cool idea. And it will be Naruto based.**

 **A pokemon crossover could be interesting too. Feel free to leave or PM me some ideas!**

 **lttlgreg: I will have Luna reveal it at some point, but it'll be a bit further down the line. I have a general idea of how the reaction is going to go down, but I'll hammer out the details when I get to that point.**

 **DannyPhantom619: I watch a lot of WWE, so I can see how that would happen. I like exploring different cultures in stories, and Samoan culture has always seemed pretty cool to me, probably because of WWE, ha!  
**


	13. House Party Problems: Part 1

After the success of the opening on Saturday, Ben was glad to have Sunday off. Days weren't usually that busy at the café. Not unless they were having one of their special events. He hoped it wouldn't become a habit here. Either way, it was his brother's problem to deal with today. He, Bruno, and Bruce, had the day off, leaving the younger siblings to help his aunt out.

Things hadn't looked too busy, so they should have been fine. And if things got really bad his aunt would call him or Bruce (the best two in the kitchen) back to help out. Right now however he didn't have to worry about that. What he did have to worry about was something much worse in his opinion.

A high school party.

It wasn't a secret that Ben wasn't much of a social guy. So parties generally weren't his thing. He preferred to stay at home and chill with a few friends rather than go to a gathering with loads of people screaming and dancing. But after Friday's big football game someone had seen fit to through a house party to celebrate, and Bruno had wanted to go.

He'd tried to convinced Bruce and Ben to go as well. Bruce had reluctantly decided to come since he was technically one of the MVPs of the game. Ben on the other hand wanted nothing to do with it. He was going to sit home and, write some lyrics, and maybe play a few games of Overwatch. Or at least he was until he got a text from a certain brown haired rocker.

Ben couldn't prove it, but he was sure Bruno had gotten her to contact him somehow. And as much as he hated to admit it, that girl pretty much had him under his thumb. So when she had asked him and Olly to come along, he really didn't have a say in the matter. Now here he getting ready for some dumb high school party. This was a waste of a Sunday.

He came downstairs with a scowl on his face. He spotted Bruno looking over his reflection in the window, and Bruce sitting at a table typing on his laptop. The eldest Brittle brother noticed him coming down and smiled. "Yo little brother. You ready to throw down?" he asked.

"Screw you…" he muttered. "Using Luna was a dirty trick…"

Bruno patted him on the back. "Oh come on. I had to find some way to get you out of the house. This is going to be your first big high school party. I wasn't going to let you miss it," he said before looking over him. "So… you're dressing like always huh?"

"Don't see why I shouldn't," Ben said yawning. Now that he thought about it, Bruno had dressed a little different. He was wearing a different shirt, and jeans. Which was a rare sight.

"You could have jazzed it up a bit. I'm not saying you need a suit and tie, but you could have tried and stuck out a little man."

"Bruce didn't."

"Bruce never dresses up for anything. He'd show up to a wedding in that if auntie didn't threaten him."

"Don't drag me into this…" Bruce muttered.

Bruno rolled his eyes and then nudged Ben. "I'm telling you, you're going to regret not trying to look your best. Girls notice even that slight little extra effort you know."

"Unlike you I'm not going just to scout for a girlfriend… actually I'm not going for any reason at all! Seriously, why'd you drag me into this?"

Ben couldn't say he wasn't used to crowds, but he wasn't really used to being in the middle of them. When he served at the café he was constantly moving in between sitting costumers, and when he was on stage he was just standing in front of them. But being right in the middle where everyone would be bumping and spilling stuff onto him… not appealing.

"You need a social life little brother. Both of you," he said nodding towards Bruce. "Besides, you get to hang out with Luna some more. That's a plus isn't it?"

Ben scowled. "Knock it off. I told you it wasn't like that." Ever since that weird feeling in his gut yesterday he'd been just a bit more on edge when it came to his brothers mentioning Luna. He was just getting sick of the teasing he guessed. "I'm serious. Don't spout any crap when she gets here."

Bruno held his hands up. "Alright, alright. Speaking of which, when are they supposed to be getting here?" he asked looking at the clock. They had offered to give the girls a ride since their family van was more than a little unreliable. As if in direct response to Bruno's question, they heard the bell at the front door go off. "Speak of the devil."

Lori and Leni walked in looking more dressed up than usual. They weren't overdressed or anything, but you could tell they put a bit more effort into picking out their outfits and doing their makeup. "Hey guys," Lori greeted. Her hair was wavier than usual, and she had on a blue hairband with a rose on the side of it. She was also wearing pink lipstick.

"You guys look nice. You ready to party? Cause I totes am!" Leni said excitedly. She was wearing a light blue dress and snow boots, and her hair was curled at the end.

"You girls look nice. Planning on turning some heads this evening?" Bruno asked.

"Turn heads? I thought we were going to party?" Leni asked.

"It's just a saying Leni. It means people will think you're so pretty they'll turn their heads to look at you," Ben explained. He found it the easiest to break things down to Leni. He wasn't much different from her when he was younger. Still, he made a quick mental note to recommend an ADHD prescription to Luna about the blonde.

"Oh… That makes sense."

Bruno looked around for a moment. "Isn't one of you missing?"

Lori sighed before turning around and heading back out the door. "Hold on a sec. Luna's all embarrassed since we actually bothered helping her pick out a decent outfit and doing her makeup. She says it's not her style. Would you please tell her she looks fine?"

The blonde reached outside of the door and began dragging her younger sister in. "No way, this was too much dudes…" Luna groaned.

"We barely put anything on you. It's your first really big high school party. You need to make an impression. Ben, tell her she looks fine."

"You look fine Luna."

"You didn't even look!"

Ben sighed. It wasn't like he really needed to look to know Luna was pretty. All the Loud sisters were. Why was this such a big… he stopped and his eyes widened when Lori pushed her forward. Was that… was that Luna? Well, obviously it was, but… wow.

She was wearing a black t-shirt, a red checker patterned skirt, and white boots. Her usual purple eye shadow was red and she had just a little, almost unnoticeable, bit of makeup on. Was she wearing lip gloss? "It's just a party dudes, I could have worn what I always do."

"No way! This isn't just any party. It's for the homecoming game, and it's being thrown by Mason Hays, which means everyone is going to be there. So the Loud sisters are going to be the most stunning girls present."

Luna sighed. "You are so lucky your bros don't force you into stuff like this… Dude?" Luna asked nervously. He kept staring at her, and she blushed. "Ben c'mon, you're freaking me out man…"

A flash suddenly went off and Ben whipped his head towards the counter. His aunt was holding a camera and smiling. "Got it!"

"Auntie!" Ben snapped.

"Sorry! I'll just be going now! See ya!" she said as she made her way back into the kitchen. "You kids have fun… but not too much fun! I'm not ready to be a great aunt yet!"

Ben groaned and covered his face with his hands, and then looked back towards Luna. "Uh… sorry I was just… uh sort of surprised and… not used to you looking so…"

Luna looked at him nervously as she waited for an answer, and her sisters smiled. Bruno leaned in next to him and whispered in his ear. "Pick your next words very carefully little brother…" he warned.

"Uh… girly?" he asked weakly.

Bruno slapped his face while Lori and Leni waved their hands from behind their younger sister. Luna frowned. "So what? I usually don't look like a girl?" she asked crossing her arms.

"No!" Ben said quickly, his face turning red. "I just mean you don't usually wear a lot of makeup and stuff! You look really pretty… well, you always look pretty. But prettier than usual. Smoking hot actually."

Luna looked at him surprised. "Oh."

"Aw," Lori and Leni cooed.

"Nice save little bro," Bruno said smirking.

Ben could feel his face getting warmer by the second. "Yeah, okay. That's all well and good. Can we just get going now?" he asked heading for the door. He wasn't about to give his family, or himself for that matter, any chance to further embarrass him.

"He's right, we don't want to be too late," Lori said. "Let's get going!"

* * *

"Whoa…"

Ben and Luna both looked at the house completely stunned. Luna had known Mason Hays was the wealthiest kid in school but she had still assumed he lived in a house, not a mansion. The sheer size alone was stunning. There was well over a hundred people here already, and the party was pretty much in full swing.

There was a huge buffet table with just about every type of party food you could think of, a number of TV's that people were watching and playing games on, and… was that a stage?! They had a stage in the living room! "Son of a bitch…" Ben said looking around. "What do this guy's parents do for a living? Is it legal?"

"His dad is some big wig at a sales company or some nonsense like that. Either way, he throws totally killer parties. I told you guys this was going to be your first big high school party, didn't I?" Lori said before pulling out her phone. "Now, you guys have fun. I'm going to go take a few pics to show to Bobby-bear!"

The blonde headed off towards who knows where, leaving the group behind. "I'm going to check out the buffet. Catch you guys later." Bruno said heading off.

Bruce hummed. "Going to go check out the sound equipment." And he was gone.

Luna turned towards where Leni was. "So I guess that's just… and she's gone…"

"Should we be worried about that?" Ben asked.

"Nah, she can take care of herself," Luna said before glancing around. "So, what do you want to do first? Should we try finding Olly?"

"Not if he finds you first."

Ben and Luna jumped slightly before turning around to see Oliver heading towards them, and walking alongside him was a girl around their age. She was Asian, and had long rather untamed jet black hair with a red streak running through it. She wore a black tank top with the words 'wild child' written across it in cursive, green baggy cargo pants, and brown sandals.

"Hey guys," Oliver greeted. "Was wondering when you would get here. I wanted to introduce you. This is my girlfriend Kimiko."

The girl offered a peace signed. "Yo, nice to meet ya. Just call me Kimi," she said smirking at them. "So you guys are my Olly's new friends huh? I saw you guys on that video. You two totally rock."

Ben smiled. "Thanks. Nice to meet you too."

"Pleasures all mine dude," Luna said nodding her head towards her.

"So, you guys ready to bring the house down! I'm going to dance the night away!" she said grabbing Oliver's arm. He blushed slightly, but smiled anyhow. "What about you guys?"

Ben and Luna shared a glance. "Uh… I'm not really much for big crowds," Ben said nervously.

Luna shrugged her shoulders. "Guess we'll just chill over here then. You two crazy kids have fun though," she said winking at them.

"Alright then, catch you later!" Kimi said before dragging Oliver off.

Ben whistled as he watched his friend go. "Man, I hate to admit it but I didn't think Olly's girlfriend would be that hot."

"I know. Kids boxing above his weight class. But good for him. Dude must have some seriously romantic skills to hit it off with a girl like her," Luna said.

"You know, if you wanted to go dance you can. I'll be fine on my own." He didn't want to feel like he was dragging her down or anything.

"You kidding? I can't leave my partner in crime behind. This place is bumping, but it'd still be totally boring without you. So, what do you want to do?"

Ben felt a bit touched by the compliment, then glanced around for a few seconds. His eyes stopped at one of the TV's. "No way…" He grabbed Luna's shoulders and turned her around, and her eyes widened.

"Dance Dance Rebellion! That came to console?" Luna asked as they walked towards where the small crowd was gathered.

"I don't think it has…" As they got closer that saw that it was the game wasn't hooked up to a console, but the actual arcade machine was hooked up to the TV. "Seriously? How rich is this guy? We should try to get booked by him. I know it's not Guitar Gladiators, but want to go for it?" Ben asked.

She raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Thought you weren't a dancer?"

"I said I didn't do crowds. I never said I couldn't dance. I'm Samoan, half our culture is about dancing," he said shrugging his shoulders. "Now you on the other hand. I know you can sing, but can you dance?"

"Just you wait and see Brittle."

They made their way to the front of the crowd and saw Leni spinning around in front of the screen. She game to a stop and posed, and the screen lit up with bright colors. **"NICE JOB! SCORE: 'DANCE GURU'! YOU GOT THE MOVES!"**

Leni clapped happily as Luna and Ben looked towards each other. "When did she-?"

"Don't think too hard on it dude," Luna said waving her hand. "Besides, you need to focus on how you're going to cope with this major but whooping your about to take."

"Like I said Loud, dancing is in the culture," he said cracking his neck.

One of the kids who was standing near machine had a microphone. "Okay folks, let's give a hand for Leni Loud, girl can groove!" he said as he and some of the others clapped. "So, who wants to try and follow up?" he asked. He looked down and saw Luna and Ben standing in the front. "Uh-oh! Is that a Loud and a Brittle I see down there?"

The two of them could practically feel everyone's eyes suddenly turning towards them. "Well folks, we know they can rock, but do they got the moves to go with the grooves!" the boy hyped up. The crowd started cheering and patting them both on the back as they went up. Ben stepped up first and then offered his hand to Luna, who took it before being pulled up.

"Well, might as well put on a show," Ben said shrugging his shoulders.

"Like we could do anything else," she quipped back.

The two of them went up to the machine, and Ben looked over the arrows on the pad. He wasn't as good at this as he was at Guitar Gladiators, but he that didn't mean he was planning on losing. " **DOUBLE DANCE MODE! CHOOSE YOUR SONG!"**

"Random?" Ben asked.

"Random," Luna answered.

The screen faded to black for a moment, and suddenly the music started. A countdown began on the screen, and the two started to move when it got down to one, the crowd cheering behind them.

" _Got me something true now,_

 _I'm not looking anymore!_

 _The times of fakin' love are through now_

 _Sharing real connections are what we're made for!"_

Ben and Luna both easily nailed the steps as the song suddenly began to pick up.

" _Come on, let go of the remote_

 _Don't you know you're letting all the junk flood in?_

 _I try to stop the flow,_

 _Double-clicking on the go_

 _But it's no use hey, I'm being consumed_

 _And I went with the flow,_

 _Double trouble on the go,_

 _Posers kept posing,_

 _I'm opposing against these foes!_

 _Please know,_

 _I'm the roses that grew out,_

 _from the concrete jungle!_ "

The two were still managing to keep up with the much quicker pace of the song, and everyone behind them was cheering loudly. Ben smiled down Luna, who smirked back. The two were moving perfectly in sync, stepping, jumping, and turning exactly where they needed to be. It was almost like they were playing on stage together.

" _Not a day goes by without me thinking 'bout_

 _The way the world stopped mid-motion!_

 _When you walked into my life and we connected_

 _Like we shared the same mad potion!_

 _Couldn't help but move,_

 _The threads of fate had spun us_

 _Into each other's lives by chance!_

 _All this energy's got us inspired now!_

 _We couldn't stop it,_

 _Just set it free and..._

 _Dance!_ "

Ben and Luna both tried to catch their breath as the song slowed down just a bit. They could hear clapping from the ground. "Yeah! That's my brother!" Bruno shouted.

"You're killing it Luna!" Lori yelled.

" _We got something strong now!_

 _We're not hiding anymore!_

 _The times of phony love are gone now!_

 _Only special friends come in through our door!_

 _Live a real life_

 _Don't be possessed by whoever_

 _No time to waste_

 _Keep on moving_

 _Whether on or off the beat,_

 _It don't matter if you never give up_

 _Life keeps on grooving!_

 _Embrace a heartbeat and step to it step to it_

 _Connect with it hold it tight_

 _Spider web to it_

 _Told you once_

 _Ain't nobody can hold me down!"_

The two suddenly jumped over, switching places, but still keeping up with the beats. Everyone whooped, impressed by the quick switch. Ben was feeling much looser now. Usually he screwed up by now, but he was doing really well. This wasn't too different from when he was playing.

" _Not a day goes by_

 _Without me feeling thankful_

 _'Bout our profound devotion_

 _Since you walked into my life and all around me_

 _Everything just stopped mid-motion!_

 _Like a high wire act,_

 _No compromise with truth,_

 _The radiant intensity we share!_

 _All this energy's got us inspired now,_

 _Wanna dance!_

 _Wanna share this magic bond_

 _Like we shared the same mad potion_

 _When you walked into my life and we connected_

 _Like we shared a magic dance!_ "

Ben suddenly reached out and grabbed Luna's hand. She looked slightly surprised, but went with it when he pulled her closer and the two started dancing across both sets of arrows. He spun her around and bit and she laughed.

" _Straight away,_

 _Going my way_

 _Let the nonchalant be commandant to themselves_

 _But we're taking over,_

 _Making over,_

 _The lame shame claim they make,_

 _Game's over!_

 _Is it a spell or magic?_

 _Imagine what happens different age different passion_

 _What I'm asking I can't call it,_

 _If I ain't got my crew I won't be dancing!"_

The two moved around each other, missing some of the arrows but not really caring at this point. Everyone was still cheering. They were hitting way more than expected, and they were putting on a good show too.

" _So baby go for it_

 _Feel the vibe_

 _Gonna touch down make this dive_

 _It keeps me alive_

 _The melody_

 _The flow_

 _The beat_

 _The heart_

 _Together we ride!_

 _All this energy's got us inspired now,_

 _We couldn't stop it, just set it free and..._

 _Dance!"_

The two came to a stop, smiling despite how hard they were panting from their loss of breath. Ben chuckled a bit, and soon Luna was laughing as well. For a moment they were just laughing and staring at one another. " **MATHMETICAL! YOUR SCORE: 'DOUBLE DANCE MASTERS'! WAY TO GET YOUR GROOVE ON!** "

The game score seemed to snap them out of their stares, and they turned back to the screen before smirking at each other once more. "Nice! So now we know the Glass Bandits got some killer dance moves to go with those killer jams! Give it up for Ben and Luna guys!"

Everyone clapped as the two jumped down from the stage. "Sorry about that bit at the end, I guess I got a little carried away," Ben said blushing slightly.

"Nah, it's cool dude. It was fun. You really meant it when you said you could dance. You know you'd probably kill on a real dance floor," she said nudging him.

"Yeah?" he asked looking a little hopeful. "Well, if you still want we could-"

"Luna!"

They turned their heads and saw Sam running up towards them. "That was so awesome! You guys were amazing! Did you plan that?" she asked excitedly.

Luna blushed at the sight of the blonde. "N-nope. Totally on the fly."

"Well it was pretty cool. You got to show me some moves sometime!"

Ben offered a weak smile towards her. There it was, that feeling in his gut again. The same one from yesterday and earlier this morning. He definitely knew he wasn't hungry, and he was feeling fine just a moment ago. What was this?

"Thanks," Ben said waving. He saw Luna shuffling nervously and then patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, that got me kind of hungry. I think I'm going to head to the buffet. You cool without me for a few minutes?" he asked.

Luna looked up at him surprised. With him being gone that meant that she and Sam would be alone. "Uh… yeah. Get your grub on dude. We'll catch up with you later."

"Cool."

He headed off, a smile on his face. A smile which quickly faded the moment Luna turned away to talk with Sam. He felt… bad right now. But why? Okay, so maybe he had wanted to dance with Luna before Sam came, but it wasn't a big deal, was it? He had just gotten his friend alone time with the girl she liked. He did a good thing. So what the hell was he feeling so bad for?

"God damn it…"

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The song for the dance scene was called 'Dance' by Lotus Juice and Shihoko Hirata. It's also the opening for Persona 4: Dance All Night. I highly recommend giving it a listen. It seemed like the perfect type of song to be on one of those dance machines.  
**

 **So, Ben is starting to get that feeling again? What could it possibly be? Well, we're going to find out next chapter. Until then, reviewer responses!  
**

 **BlankBlankBlankityMcBlank: Point taken. I'll be sure to think a bit more carefully about the songs from now on. I can't say all of them will be within that genre, but you're right. It would fit Luna's character more. Thanks for the advice!  
**

 **tylerchavis97: Thanks for the advice, but these bonus chapter will mostly be focusing on Luna and Ben, and since their just meant to be small little treats there probably won't be so much detail towards their appearance. But I'll probably end up using some of Lincoln's Pokemon, since I had an idea about having a gym run by all of the Loud siblings where the challengers picks three of them to go against. Thanks for reading!  
**

 **And I plan to put a bit more into Beck and Luan's relationship. I might even make a bonus chapter about their first April Fool's together.**

 **lttlgreg: Thanks, hope it lives up to your expectations when it comes! Thanks for reading.  
**


	14. House Party Problems: Part 2

By the time the party was in full swing, it was very obvious to Ben that the feeling in his stomach was not going away. Whatever it was that was bothering him didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon. Not knowing what to do, he eventually decided to grab something to eat and hope it would somehow settle his gut.

It didn't work, and at this point he was pretty sure nothing would. So he just decided to do the smart thing… and ignore it. He stood off to the side trying to look like he wasn't completely out of place here. From where he was he could see Luna and Sam chatting near the food table. It looked like it was going pretty well. They were smiling and laughing.

He could tell Luna was a bit nervous though. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands, and she kept grabbing cups of punch to make up for it. Still, all things considered she was holding up pretty well. He was happy for her. At least he was trying to be.

"Hey Ben."

Ben glanced up and saw Leni walking towards him with a wave, a cheery smile on her face as usual. Of all of Luna's sisters Leni was probably the one he was most comfortable with. He could relate to her on some level because of their shared disorder, and she always had a cheery attitude. So despite the fact that they had absolutely nothing in common, he actually got along pretty well with her.

"This is a super fun party right? It's like totally awesome," Leni said happily.

"Yeah Leni, it's a blast." He really hadn't mean for that to come out as sarcastic as it had, but if she had taken any offense it didn't show. In fact, she looked more concerned than anything.

She tilted her head. "Is something wrong? You don't look like you're having a lot of fun," she said worried.

He offered a weak smile. "I'm fine Leni. Just… got a little stomachache."

"Oh. You should totally try some ginger ale. Lisa said it can help with stuff like that sometimes," she suggested. Ben let out a small chuckle. Leni didn't seem to understand why, but smiled anyway. "So, how come you and Luna aren't dancing together anymore?'

Ben flinched slightly. "Uh… Luna wanted to hang out with one of her other friends. I just wanted to give her a little space, you know."

Leni nodded. "I get it. But you should totally catch up with her later. She seemed really excited about coming here with you. She was asking about what she should wear and everything. And she usually never does that."

Ben looked at her confused. "Really?"

She shook her head yes. "She wanted to look really nice." Ben looked down at his feet. Of course she wanted to look nice. She probably knew Sam was going to be here after all. "So, are you going to ask her to dance later?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not one for big crowds so…"

"But dancing in a big crowd can be so fun. Especially when it's with someone you like. I bet you two would have a bunch of fun."

He wasn't sure what context she was using the word _like_ in. "I'm uh… I'm sure she'll have fun dancing without me. Besides, any guy here would be willing to hit the dance floor with her," he said hoping she'd move to another topic.

"But you guys were so good together on that game. You were like, totes in sync."

He blushed slightly as he thought back to their little tango. He'd been too into the moment to think about it at the time, but they'd been pretty close. At the end he'd pulled her close enough to… his face turned crimson at the thought and he shook his head. What the hell was he thinking?

"Are you okay? You're blushing," Leni pointed out.

He let out a nervous laugh. "Nothing, it's nothing…"

"Is it cause you're thinking about Luna?"

Ben's eyes widened and his heart leapt into his throat. He turned towards the blonde who was giving him an innocent curious look. "W-what?"

"Luna. You were thinking about her right? That's why you're blushing."

"What makes you say that?"

"Cause you totally like her," she said as if it were obvious.

He held his hands up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I do not like Luna! Well, I like her, but not like that! We've only known each other for like two weeks! I don't… you can't… uh…"

Leni looked even more confused. "But you guys get along so well. And you even sing and dance together really well too. Plus you're always staring at her when you think she's not looking."

Ben could feel his cheeks getting redder with each thing she pointed out. Had Leni always been this observant? "That's… I'm not… I have ADHD. I stare sometimes, okay?"

"But it's always at Luna. Always."

Ben thought back for a moment. Before when he snapped out of his stares he found himself looking at a piece of paper or his desk. But now that he thought about it lately he'd found himself staring at Luna. Usually she was laughing or smiling since she was the one who woke him up.

Not that he minded. He liked seeing her smile.

He quickly shook his head at that last thought. "Look, Leni. We're just friends. We have some of the same interest and we get along really well. That doesn't mean we like each other."

Leni hummed. "If you say so."

He let out a sigh. Yes, that was right. They were just friends. Just because he liked to play music with her, dance with her, hang out with her, see her smile, write music together, go out and eat together, share personal secrets- "God damn it…" he said suddenly paling.

He liked her.

He liked Luna Loud.

"No, no, no…" he shook his head as he began sweating. "No, this can't be happening, no."

"What's wrong?" Leni asked worried.

He leaned against the wall and put his hands over his face. Was he stupid? Was he really that stupid that he couldn't see the signs? Okay, so his brothers teasing him was nothing unusual, so he could understand if that hadn't tipped him off. But everything else?

Everyone assuming they were together already? Him giving her his jacket? The blushing? The stares? The fact that he'd actually bothered leaving the house to hang out with someone outside of his family? It seemed so obvious now!

Maybe it was because he had never really liked a girl before. Sure, he'd found girls attractive before, but he'd never really thought much beyond that. With Luna though, a number of thoughts passed through his head. She was cool, exciting, and just fun to be around. He'd fallen for her without even realizing it.

And she liked someone else.

"Ben?" Leni asked concerned. "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

Ben sighed. His brothers had pointed it out to him the whole time, but he hadn't listened. It seemed kind of funny that the person who made him see it was Leni of all people. "Leni, never let anyone tell you you're not smart. You're a genius, you hear me?"

Leni smiled at the compliment. "Aw, thank you," she said sweetly. "But really, are you feeling alright. You look down."

"I just… realized something important and… it's really complicated." What the heck was he supposed to do with this? He couldn't just tell her. She already had a thing for Sam. He couldn't put her in that position. How would that affect their friendship? Or the band?

But he was pretty sure he wasn't going to be able to just act the same around her anymore. Now that he personally knew what was going on with him he wouldn't be able to ignore it. That just wasn't how he worked. He wouldn't be able to look at her straight in the eyes without blushing.

"Hey, do you want to dance?"

He looked back up towards Leni who offered her hand. "What?"

"I know you said it was complicated, but sometimes doing something simple and fun helps with complicated stuff. It does with me."

Ben stared at her for a moment. Right now his mind was a total mess. It wasn't like he could leave and start writing something. Well, he could, but that would seem weird. Dancing on the other hand… well, it was right here. "You know what, sure."

"Yay!" Leni cheered clapping. "C'mon."

They began heading towards the dance floor, and Ben tried to clear his head of all this nonsense. For the next couple of minutes he just wanted to think about dancing. Maybe a moment of clarity would be able to help him sort this out.

"Hey there Loud, looking good."

Well, so much for that.

Ben and Leni came to a stop as three guys stepped in front of them. Ben could tell right off the back they were jocks. They looked like they might have been part of the football team, but he didn't know for sure. Aside from his brothers he didn't keep up with anyone else on the team. The one in the front looked like he was leading them, while the other two looked like his goons.

He was big, slightly bigger than Bruno even. He was muscular, had brown hair that was combed over, and wore a letterman jacket and jeans. The other two behind him looked like they were either brothers or twins, with matching black crewcuts. "Oh, thanks Eddy," Leni said kindly.

"So Leni, how about you and me hit the dance floor?"

Well, this was going to be the second time his dance partner got poached from him tonight. Not that he could blame either of them. "Um, thanks, but I was about to dance with Ben. Maybe we can dance later."

Ben was honestly a bit surprised. He figured a girl like Leni would jump at the chance to dance with him. Maybe it was the valley girl way of speaking, or her obsession with hair and makeup, but she was a lot less shallow than he'd given her credit for.

Eddy on the other hand didn't seem to want to take no for an answer. "Aw c'mon babe. I'm sure the runt wouldn't mind standing on the sidelines. He's probably used to it. Ditch the freshman and come have a fun time with me."

"But I'm already have a fun time," Leni said honestly.

The guy looked like he was getting annoyed, and Ben decided to speak up. "Uh, look man, she said she'd dance with you later. Why not just wait a few-?"

"I don't remember asking you runt," Eddy said glaring down at him. "Wait a sec. You're the other one aren't you? The Brittle brother. Should have figured. You punks have been trying to show off ever since you got to this school. Don't you already have a Loud sister who pants your trying to get in to?"

Leni looked confused at the last statement, while Ben glared. He balled his fist up, but quickly tried to calm himself. He was pretty sure he could take this guy. He was used to tussling with Bruno and Bruce who were both bigger and stronger than himself. But he had a feeling if things got messy those other two would jump in, and he'd be done for.

Besides, he didn't want to get into a fight anyway. This was supposed to be a party. "Screw this, let's just go Leni," he said grabbing her wrist.

"I don't get it? How are you supposed to fit in Luna's pants?"

Ben blushed heavily. "I-I'll explain later."

Before he could leave, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. "Who the hell said you could go anywhere you runt?" Eddy asked yanking him back.

Ben sighed. "Dude, c'mon. She doesn't want to dance with you, and I don't want to fight. Can we please just not-" Ben barely managed to move his head back before a fist collided with his face. He stepped back and looked at Eddy who was smirking at him. "What the hell?!"

"Put em up loser."

Ignoring the fact that he actually said 'put em up' Ben stuck his hands up defensibly. "I just said I'm not-" He dodged another punch. "The hell man?! Look, you do not want to start with me right now man! Especially not over a stupid dance!" He ducked under another and then shoved Eddy back. "C'mon man! I'm not trying to!"

This time Eddy's fist connected right with his nose. Leni along with a number of other watching gasped as Ben stumbled back. "Aw, what's wrong kid? Your brothers didn't teach you how to take a hit?" Eddy asked walking forward.

Ben stood there for a few moments, and then wiped some of the blood from his nose. He sighed and then turned towards Eddy, an almost blank expression on his face. He then took a deep breath and turned to leave. " _Fuck you_. I'm not fighting you just because my brothers bruised your fragile little ego."

Eddy frowned. "Sounds more like your scared to me!"

"It can sound like whatever the hell you want. I'm done."

Everyone cleared out of Ben's way as he quickly made his way towards the door ignoring the mutters from everyone else and Eddy's obnoxious taunts. He was ready to leave this party. He shouldn't have come in the first place. This wasn't his type of thing. He didn't belong here.

If he hadn't of come he wouldn't have gotten into this stupid fight. He wouldn't have figured out he liked Luna. He wouldn't be feeling this horrible. He kicked the door on the way out and made his way towards the truck. He was planning on getting his bike and getting the hell out of-

"Ben!"

Well, it was the clear the universe didn't give a crap about what he had planned. He turned around and saw Luna, who was hands down the last person he needed to see right now, making her way towards him. "Dude, I saw what happened! Are you okay?" she asked walking up towards him. "Your nose!"

He felt his nose for a moment and then pulled his hand back. He was still bleeding. He sighed. "I'm fine. Not the first bloody nose I've had, won't be the last."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue. "Here, hold on a sec." She got ready to wipe his nose, but he quickly stepped back. "What?"

"I… I'm okay, really. I just need to get out of here."

She frowned. "What? But what about the party?"

"I'm not exactly in the mood to party right now."

"Look, I know that sucked but you can't let him scare you out of here. Come back in and enjoy the party man. If he tries anything else I'll bust his lip myself," she said holding her fist up.

Ben couldn't help but smile at her. Here she was threatening to knock someone out on his behalf. It was no wonder he'd ended up falling for her. But his smile faded and he turned back around and waved. "I appreciate it, but this type of scene just isn't my thing. I'm not a party guy. I only came because Bruno kept nagging me…"

That was a lie. Even before his little realization he knew he'd came because of her. Because he liked her. Knowing full well she liked someone else. This sucked.

Luna grabbed his arm. "Look dude, I know this might not be your thing but you were having fun right? Before that clown ruined it we were having a good time."

"Yeah well… I would have had a better one at home." He really hadn't meant for that to sound so bitter. But from the hurt look on her face she seemed to take it as an insult. He quickly turned around and held his hand up. "Hey, I didn't mean it like-"

"I know. It's fine dude. I get it. You're not big on the party scene."

Ben stared after her as she turned around and walked back inside. The bad feeling in his stomach somehow had gotten worse. Seeing her saddened was bad. Knowing he was the reason for it was so much worse. He tried to think of something to say, but his mind came to a blank.

What was he supposed to do? Stay? No. He wouldn't, _couldn't_ , go back in there.

Tell her how he felt? Hell no. How would that work?

' _Hey, I've only known you for barely three weeks but I totally like you now. Forget about that girl you were totally crushing on way before I got here and go out with me instead!'_

Fat chance.

He figured the only thing he could do at this point was exactly what he was doing before. Leave. "I'm sorry," he muttered before walking off. "When you see my brothers just let them know…"

She sighed. "Yeah, I got it."

* * *

Ben got his bike from the trunk and drove back to the café. There was barely anyone there by this time of night, and the twins had already gone to bed. Beck was sweeping up the place, and his aunt was behind the counter.

When he walked in Beck looked up at him confused. "Hey bro, you're home early." Ben kept on walking heading straight for the stairs. He knew if he stopped to talk they'd asked questions, and he didn't feel like answering them right now. "Whoa? Hey, you okay man? Ben? Ben!" He dropped the broom and ran in front of him. "Dude, are you zoning out or-?"

"Not now man," Ben said shoving past him.

Berta, who'd been watching from behind the counter frowned. "Hey, Ben! Why are you home so early? Where are your brothers?" she asked.

"They're fine. I just… I didn't feel like partying okay?"

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened?"

"Benjamin Loto Brittle. You know better than to lie to me."

Ben grit his teeth and then glared towards her. "Fine, I just don't feel like talking about it. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep. And that's exactly what I'm going to do." Without waiting for her to respond, he walked up stairs and headed right for his room.

Brutus immediately began following him, but he closed his door on the dog who whined sadly. He began scratching at the door and Ben growled. "Not now Brutus! Go bother someone else!" There was silence for a few moments, and then he heard the dog's footsteps heading away from the door.

Ben leaned against the wall and slumped down to the floor. He grabbed his head in his hands and groaned. Well, he wasn't sure how exactly this could get much worse…

* * *

 **A/N: So, Ben finally realized his feelings and things are not looking good for him. And I hate to tell you, but it's probably going to get worst. I thought I would have a fight scene during that confrontation with Eddy, but I decided against it. Was a little too cliche for my taste. But there will be a fight at some point.**

 **I also thought it would be funny is Leni was the one to make him realize it. I feel like they would get along, and Leni has been shown to be a pretty good peoples person. (Planning her moms party and looking after the rest of the family when they were sick)**

 **The next chapters will cover the fall out behind Ben's little epiphany.**

 **Well, time for some reviewer responses!**

 **lttlgreg: Thanks once again for the kind review! I actually thought about doing a sort of love triangle with Ben, Luna, and Sam, but thought that would get a little to complicated. So I'm just sticking to Ben liking Luna.  
**

 **DannyPhantom619: Like I said, there's going to be a fight in the near future. You can bet your ass I'll be putting a little wrestling in it. It might resemble a certain team that's reunited recently.  
**

 **tylerchavis97: Well, Ben does have green eyes. Lol. I'll probably tackle that pokemon AU soon. The Naruto one is coming next.  
**

 **anonymous: That's an interesting idea. Giving what's going to happen in the next few chapters I could probably do that.  
**

 **Witch-King Angmar: Thanks for the review! Yeah, Ben sure is a smooth talker isn't he? Ha! Wonder just how he'll talk his way out of this one.  
**

 **Weavillain: So, interesting story. I saw your name and I'm like, 'why does this look familiar to me'. Then I realized you've written like five of my favorite Loud House fics! I'm in the middle of 'Bake a Load off' right now actually. Bit of a honor to be one of your favorite fics! Thanks for reviewing!  
**

 **PJOFan12: Yeah, he is a bit oblivious when it comes to the fairer sex. But now Leni's managed to hammer it through to him. Let's see how he reacts!  
**


	15. Omake 3: Ninja Teamwork

"Okay, the test is simple. I have two bells here, and whoever gets one passes. The one who doesn't is going back to the academy. Which means only two of you will pass."

Luna, Ben, and Oliver all flinched as the man before them held up the two small items that could determine their fate. When their sensei Gill had showed up and told them to report to the training grounds, they thought they'd be doing actual training. After all, they had graduated from the academy. They were full-fledged ninja.

What they hadn't expected was the rather messy looking man threatening to send them right back to school. "Are you kidding me?! All that work we did and we could still be sent back? What did we even have a graduation ceremony for?" Luna asked.

Gill shrugged. "This was the plan from the get go. We have to make sure only the best of the best make it through. This is the leaf village, we're not sending out rookies who aren't worthy of making the cut," he said as he put the bells on his belt loop. "Now I want you to come at me with everything you got. Like you're trying to kill-"

Ben suddenly rushed forward, pulling the rather large sword off of his back. He swung the butcher like blade downwards and sliced Gill right in two. Luna and Oliver both gasped as Ben smirked. "D-dude!" Luna said in disbelief.

"What?" Ben asked. "He said to come at him like we're trying to-"

A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, and Ben was flipped off of his feet and slammed onto the ground. Gill stepped on his back, pinning him down. Luna and Oliver both stepped back. They had just see this man get cut in two. They both glanced back and saw a split log in the place where his corpse should have been.

Gill pressed his foot down harder causing Ben to grunt in pain. "I didn't say start yet…" he said yawning. "But I do appreciate the killer intent. And what a nice blade. The Executioner's Blade, one of the seven Shinobi swords, correct? A keepsake from your mother I assume?" he asked looking over the blade.

Ben glared at the mention of his mother. "Shut up…"

"Ben Brittle. Your father is from the Brittle clan, but your mother was from the Kalo clan, right? She had to be. Those eyes of yours are unmistakable. I also heard you have both bloodline traits. Does that make you a hybrid, or a half breed?"

Ben growled. "I said shut up!" Gill, Luna, and Oliver all jumped back as the spear shaped tattoos on Ben suddenly shot out from his body. They looked like bladed chains.

Gill landed with a smirk. "There it is, the living tattoos."

"Hey! Watch it dude!" Luna shouted.

Ben frowned as the tattoos slowly returned back into his body. "Sorry, but only two of us get to pass, and I'm not about to be the first Brittle send back to the academy." He charged after Gill and began swinging his sword once more. Gill easily dodged the attacks.

Luna watched them closely. "This doesn't look good," Oliver said worried. "Should we-"

"He's right, if only two of us get to pass this then we need to go all out," she said before sprinting forward. She performed a few hand signs before taking a deep breath. "Matatabi…"

 _What do you want girl?_

"I need your help. I have to snatch a bell from this guy, so give some of your chakra."

 _Does you think your petty little test concerns me?_

"Oh come on, please? We can eat a boat load of fish later?" Luna offered.

 _I very much down you have it in you to eat an entire boatload… but you can try, so very well._

Just as Oliver was about to ask who in the world she was talking to, Luna smiled and opened her eyes, which were now somehow catlike. One of them was blue, while the other was yellow. There was blue fiery chakra surrounding her body. "Whoa…" Oliver said stunned.

"Those bells are mine dude…" Luna said before jumping off with enough force that almost knocked Oliver off of his feet. She headed straight for Gill who had his back turned to her as he dodged more of Ben's attacks. "Gotcha!"

She reached out to snatch one, only to have her wrist grabbed. "Maybe don't yell 'Gotcha' right before you try to sneak attack someone," Gill suggested before he turned and threw her towards Ben. The boy panicked and moved his sword out of the way before she crashed into him.

They both groaned, and Gill smirked at Luna. "Luna Loud, third eldest from the Loud clan and the Jinchuriki host for the two-tails. I hear you actually managed to gain some control over it. That's impressive for a girl your age."

Luna glared at him. "Matatabi is a _she_ , not an _it_. And I don't control her. We're partners," she said as she rolled back up to her feet. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Luna took a deep breath before she spit out a blue blast of flame from her mouth, and Gill jumped out of the way. "You two are both equally bulled headed and rash. No wonder they put you on the same team."

"Shut up!"

Ben ran at him again and swung, and Gill jumped up into the air. Luna leapt up after him as the chakra surrounding her arms changed and turned claw like. She swung her arm at him, but he leaned back avoiding the blow. "Not quite little lady."

Luna growled and went for another swing, but he reached out and poked her headband. Suddenly she went flying back and crashed back into the ground. She winced and looked back up to see Gill standing on the water. "What was that?" she asked.

Gill smirked. "If you manage to get the bell, I might just tell you. But from the looks of things you don't… hmm?" He looked down and noticed the ground was shifting. Suddenly some of Ben's tattoos came shoot out from below him. He stepped back avoiding being cut, but one of the chains managed to cut the bell off.

"Got it!" He looked over and saw Ben about to snatch the bells. Gill suddenly pulled his hand back, and the bells went flying back to him. "What?!" Ben shouted in disbelief.

He landed on the ground face first and then glared up at him. "You're kidding me…" Luna said in shock. He just made them float right back to him. What type of technique was that?

Gill sighed. "That was a close one. You almost managed to pull one over on me. I think it's about time I started getting serious." He began performing a few hand signs, and both Ben and Luna frowned.

Before Gill could finish however, a large stone wall suddenly shot up from the ground, separating them from their teacher. Ben and Luna looked behind them and saw Oliver with his hands on the ground. "Earth Style: Earth Wall."

"What are you doing? How are we supposed to get the bell with-?"

Oliver stomped his foot. "We're never going to get the bell from him! Not if we keep on trying by ourselves! We have to work together or else we're all going back to the academy!" Oliver shouted.

Ben and Luna shared a glance, and then turned back towards him. "But only two of us get to pass anyway. So what's the point of working together? The second we get the bells-"

"I'll go back," Oliver said sternly. They both looked at him surprised. "If it seriously comes to that then I'll volunteer to go back. But with the way things are now none of us are even going to get close. We have come together if we're going to beat this guy."

They stood in silence of a second, and then Luna sighed. "He's right. No way are we going to be able to beat him on our own. We'll work out who goes back later. For now, let's just get the bells," she said looking towards Ben.

Ben scowled. He hated to admit it but even with all that training with his brothers and aunt, this guy was way out of his league. Even if he broke out every technique he'd only end up wasting his chakra. "Alright, let's do it. You got a plan?" he asked looking to Oliver.

The boy gulped, but then nodded. "Y-yeah. He's obviously got some type of magnet style jutsu, so even if we knock the bells off he'll pull them right back. We need to immobilize him. It's a little risky but…"

* * *

Gill stood on the water humming to himself. It looked like the Oliver kid had finally decided to make a move. Of his three students Oliver was the one without any real notable background. He parents weren't ninja, he didn't have some great family lineage, and he hadn't done anything that notable during his time in the academy.

He was objectively average. But Gill knew better than anyone that the one you let your guard down around tended to be the most dangerous of the bunch. "Maybe he's talked some sense into his teammates," he muttered.

"Got you this time!"

He looked up and saw Ben had leapt over the wall and was swinging his sword down at him. "Or maybe not…" He moved aside easily dodging the sword. "You really don't learn do you kid? You're every bit as stubborn as your aunt."

Ben smirked and suddenly held up his hand. "Damn right. Stubbornness runs in the Brittle family," he said before doing a few hand signs.

"One handed hand signs. Nice."

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The water before them began shifting, and suddenly a large dragon made of water rose up and began making its way after Gill. He jumped back making his way away from the attack. "A pretty advanced technique for a genin, but still no- Hmm!?" He looked back and saw Luna standing behind him.

"Fireball Jutsu!"

Another blast of blue flames came towards him, but he jumped up into the air. The attacks collided, and once fire and water came together a cloud of thick steam appeared. "They're blocking my vision, hoping for a sneak attack…"

"That's right!" Gill grunted as he felt someone grabbing onto his back. Oliver smiled as kept his death grip on his sensei's back. "Earth Style: Weighted Boulder Jutsu!"

Gill grew wide eyed as they suddenly began falling back towards the water with great speed. He'd increased both of their weight, and they were falling to the ground like rocks. They splashed into the water and quickly began sinking under. Oliver still wasn't letting go as they sunk deeper and deeper into the water.

" _Is he planning on waiting until I pass out and then taking the bells? He's in for a surprise. I can hold my breath much longer than he-_ "

Something suddenly wrapped around them both. Gill grew wide eyed and looked around to see Ben's tattoos tying themselves around them. Oliver smiled before releasing the jutsu, then they were both pulled back up. Once they got to the surface they saw Ben and Luna smiling at them.

"Nice job man!" Ben said making sure to keep his grip on them.

"Got to admit, that was a heck of a plan dude," Luna complimented.

"Thanks…" Oliver said blushing slightly.

Gill chuckled as Luna bent down and snatched the bells. He could have broken out of this and kept going, but there was no point. They'd gotten the lesson. "Nice job you runts. You worked together and overcome a difficult obstacle. Now, who's going to be going back to-?"

"None of us," Ben said sternly.

Luna tossed the bells up and down. "Yeah dude. We did this together, so we pass or fail together. If one of us goes back, we all do."

Gill nodded. "That's a good answer. You all pass."

"Yeah we- wait, really?" Ben asked.

"Yes. The goal of this exercise was to see if you three could overcome the odds and work together as a team. You clearly have managed to do that, so-"

"Are you kidding me?!" Luna said in disbelief. "This was a 'work together' challenge? What a load! You could have just told us that from the beginning!"

"That did seem like a long way to go for a simple lesson…" Oliver said frowning.

"But then you wouldn't have learned to value of teamwork…"

Ben glared at him. "Oh, the value of teamwork huh? Here's some teamwork for you. Oliver, hold on there a little longer. Luna, draw on his face."

Luna pulled out a marker knelt down in front of him. Gill scowled. "Hey! Don't you draw on my! Hey, knock it off! Get away from me! Gah!"

And thus, team seven was born.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally got that ninja AU out! Hope you guys enjoyed it. I thought about making Ben the Junchuriki of the eight tails, but eventually I deciced to make it Luna. Her and Matatabi just seemed to fit more, and Ben had enough going on already. Oliver having the weighed boulder style just seemed to fit too. Let me know what you guys think.**


	16. Siblings Chats

Luna Loud was new to this whole 'best friend' thing.

It wasn't like she'd never had friends. Sure she had never been insanely popular or anything, but she was in her fair share of social circles. She got along well with Sam and her pals, and she knew a lot of her sister's friends pretty well too.

But Ben Brittle was probably the first person she would consider to be her _best friend_. She hadn't at first, but after thinking about it for a while, she saw pretty much all the signs there. They hung out all the time, goofed off, shared secrets. Pretty much all the things her brother did with his best friend Clyde.

So yeah, she supposed they were best friends. And she didn't really mind that. She might not have known him for that long, but Ben was cool. A little quirky, but a genuinely honest guy who seemed like he'd have her back when it counted. And she'd have his back too, just like they said. That's what friends did right?

So why wasn't he talking to her?

It had been a few days since the party had happened, and things didn't exactly seem like they were going well for Ben. Everyone was talking about his near fight with Eddy, who had bragged about how Ben was scared of him. When she had asked Bruno and Bruce about it, they said they would let him handle it.

" _If he needs us to step in he'll say something…_ "

She wasn't sure how she felt about that. If it had been her sisters they wouldn't have hesitated to find whoever was bullying one of their own and shut them down. But she knew the Brittle brothers had their own way of doing things. Ben had ignored the teasing, saying he'd get bored and leave him be eventually.

Ben had also been pretty distant lately. He had barely spoken to her all week, he could hardly even look her in the eyes. When he did it was never for more than a few seconds. Whenever she asked him what was wrong he'd just blow it off and say it was nothing.

During practice he was off. His actual playing was just as good as ever, and most people would never be able to tell. Not even Oliver seemed to notice. But she just felt like something was… off. They didn't have the same chemistry they usually did. He sort of zoned out like he always did before, but now it was like he was playing by himself. Not with her.

It was both worrying and frustrating. How could she help him if he didn't tell her what was wrong. How could she get him to open up? She'd never really had to think about stuff like that with anyone outside of her family, and she already knew how each and every one of her siblings worked, so it was never that hard.

But she couldn't just do nothing.

She sat back and looked from her table up at the stage. Their band would only play at the café every couple of days, while the rest were spent practicing. They needed to write some new songs of their own, and learn some others that Ben said would probably be requested. When they weren't, Ben was up there on his own. Just like now.

The café had an open mike when Ben and Beck finished their shows, but they could also put in request from the both of them. Ben had just finished with a request someone had made and was making his way back behind the counter. He looked just as polite as he always did when he was serving customers, but Luna knew it was forced.

She frowned before getting up and heading towards the back. "Hey Luna, where you going?" Sam asked.

Luna flinched. She had almost forgotten she'd come here with Sam and the others. "Uh, I gotta check up on something with Ben. Band stuff, you know?" she asked offering the blonde a smile.

Sam nodded. "Cool, I'll keep Nate from eating your stuff," she said elbowing her other friend who nudged her right back with a laugh.

Luna continued to the back, and the moment she opened the door she saw Ben picking up a plate of cupcakes. "Ben…" she called.

The boy looked over his shoulder and paled slightly when he saw her. There! There it was again! Why did he seem so worried about her being here? Why did he seem to be trying to avoid her? "Oh, hey." He lifted up the plate and showed it to her. "If you're waiting for your order it's right here. I'll just bring it-"

"I'm not here to talk about my order dude. I just… I want to talk to you. You got a minute?"

He stood there for a silently for a second. "Luna, I'm kind of working here. I don't really have time to sit back and chat, you know?"

Luna sighed. She knew it was probably a little much to ask him to stop in the middle of work just to speak with her, but she tended to just go on impulse sometimes. "Sure he can talk! He's going on break right about now anyway!" Luna looked back up and saw Berta standing behind Ben. She took the tray from his hands. "You go on now, talk with your bandmate."

Ben looked at her panicked. "Auntie I-"

Berta suddenly glared at him. "Ben, look at her. She's worried. This is obviously important. Now hurry up, it's rude to keep a lady waiting."

"But what if someone-"

Berta suddenly reached up and pinched his cheek. She was smiling, but Luna could tell it was more of a warning than a friendly gesture. "Nephew, do you remember a couple days ago when you came up and you shoved your brother aside, and then you snapped at me?" she asked.

Luna winced. She had heard that he snapped at his aunt when he got home, and she hadn't taken too kindly to it. "…yeah…" Ben said nervously.

"And remember how I _didn't_ shove my foot up your behind for it?" she asked again.

"…yeah…"

"Good. Not repay the favor and go talk to your friend before I change my mind about that," she said patting him on the head. She turned and began walking out. "He's yours for as long as you need him sweetie. It's almost time to close up anyhow," she said to Luna as she left.

Luna nodded. "Thanks Ms. B." She turned back to Ben who looked like a deer in headlights. "So… maybe we should go outside?"

Ben gulped. "Uh… sure." The two made their way outside the back of the café. Luna closed the door behind them and sighed as Ben leaned against the wall. "So… what did you want to talk about?" he asked shrugging his shoulders.

Luna frowned. "Dude, are you serious?" she asked. "You've been acting weird since the party. I don't just mean what happened with Eddy either. You've just been… off."

Ben sighed. "Luna, I told you nothing was wrong. It's not-"

"Stop lying!" Luna suddenly snapped, surprising him. "It's bad enough that you don't want to talk to me about it! But don't lie to me! I'm not stupid! I can tell when something is bothering someone! I talked to your brothers too! They said you haven't told them what's up either! I'm not the only one worried Ben!"

Ben winced at the harsh tone, and Luna had to calm herself. She didn't know why she was so angry at him. She just… was. "I… I'm sorry," Ben said.

"I mean, was it something they did? Is Eddy still bugging you? Was it me? Did I do something wrong? Is it because I dragged you to the party? Ditched you there? Tried to make you stay? If I did something wrong I'm sorry, but please don't just shut me out because of it!"

"No!" Ben said quickly. "It wasn't you, I swear. This is… this is all on me okay? It's just some personal crap I'm dealing with."

Luna grabbed his shoulders. "Then tell me about it!" she pleaded. "You can talk to me dude. We're friends. If something is up I want to try and help. Or at least just be there for you."

Ben looked at her hesitantly, then looked down at the ground. "I can't. It's not… you don't get it okay? This is guy stuff."

"Guy stuff?!" she asked in disbelief. She shook her head. "Dude, you are so full of it!" She turned and began walking off. "When you feel like not being a total goober, call." She stormed off.

* * *

"How long has she been out there?" Luan asked.

"Like an hour… never seen her this steamed before," Lynn answered.

The Loud sisters all watched from the window as Luna swung away at the punching bag in the backyard. It really was strange. Lynn had come out to get some kickboxing practice in, and found her rocker sister using it instead. When she asked when she'd be done, all she got was an angry growl in response.

Lynn wisely decided to back off and go get the rest of her sisters. They had hoped to ask her what was wrong when she came back inside but… well, it didn't seem like she was coming in anytime soon. "Uh… maybe we should go talk to her?" Leni asked.

"AAAAHHHH!"

They heard Luna yell and once again wail on the bag, sending it flying upwards. "You can go out there if you want. I want to keep the rest of my teeth," Lana said.

"In my professional opinion, I suggest we leave our music loving sibling alone until she calms down enough to listen to reason," Lisa offered.

"That's just your way of saying you don't feel like dealing with it," Lola said shaking her head.

Lori narrowed her eyes. "I recognize this kind of rage. You guys stay back. I'll handle this," she said as she made her way out of the door. She walked down the stairs and approached her younger sister. "Luna, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Luna answered as she continued punching.

Lori narrowed her eyes. "Really? Because you seem really, really angry," she said crossing her arms. "Does this have something to do with Ben?" she asked.

Despite what her sisters thought, Lori did pay attention to more than her phone. She knew what her younger siblings were up to and what was going on in their lives. She could see something was going on between Ben and Luna, and whatever it was had started going downhill after the party.

Her hunch appeared to be right, since Luna punched the bag considerably harder after she mentioned his name. Lori grabbed the other side of the bag and let her swing away. "He's so stupid! All that talk about us being friends and how we could tell each other anything, and he won't tell me what's bugging him! He's such an idiot! Why won't he just let me know what's wrong?! Why won't he let me help him?! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Lori hummed and just nodded along. "Boys are kind of stupid. They work in really weird ways."

"And even if he didn't want to talk to me about it, he can't seriously think I'm just not going to notice! Like I'm an idiot! Like I'm just going to sit back and say nothing! Screw him!"

Lori just kept nodding along. "Yeah, that was pretty dumb of him."

The next few minutes were just Luna venting about how stupid Ben was, and Lori just nodding and agreeing with her. After a while Luna finally seemed to tire out. She lowered her fist and began trying to catch her breath. "You feel better?" Lori asked.

"No…" Luna said bitterly. "Just a little less angry than before."

Lori walked over to the stairs and patted the spot beside her. Luna sighed, taking her gloves off and taking a seat beside her elder sister. "Luna, let me let you in on a secret. Men are stubborn, stupid, and simple creatures. They feel like they have to do everything themselves or else their not manly. Even Bobby gets macho and dumb like that sometimes."

Luna looked down at her feet. "Yeah, I know. I remember when Lincoln did that camping trip just cause he felt like we were making him girly."

"Exactly," Lori said. "So don't worry. Whatever he's got going on is just a phase. It'll pass."

"I just… it hurts, you know. He's my best friend and he's shutting me out. I thought we could trust each other. We already shared some deep stuff, I don't see what he's got going on that could be worse," she explained.

Lori put an arm around her shoulder. "Look, I clearly don't know Ben as well as you do. But he seems like a good guy. He's not trying to hurt you. You just have to give him a little time. It'll sink in his head eventually, and he'll talk. Until then just be there."

Luna once again sighed. "Guess that's all I can do."

Lori smiled. "And remember, Ben isn't the only one there for you. You got us too."

Luna smiled back at her. "Thanks…"

The two sisters hugged one another. Luna continued smiling, feeling just a little better about all this. Lorion the other hand grew a frown on her face. She was going to have a little chat with a certain Brittle brother…

* * *

Ben wasn't sure he could feel any more like a jackass than he already did. He sat on his bed, strumming his guitar, trying and failing to clear his head. Brutus sat at the foot of his bed just lying there. The dog could tell he was feeling down and had tried to cheer him up, but after realizing Ben was in no mood to play, he just decided to rest at his feet.

There was a long list of things that were going horribly for him right now. The top of the list being how upset Luna was with him right now. When she had snapped at him earlier he'd felt like someone had punched him right in the heart. But he couldn't blame her. From her point of view he was blowing her off. Ignoring her.

He knew he shouldn't have been so nervous around her. He should have just acted like he normally did, but… he couldn't. Every time he saw her a torrent of thoughts flowed through his head. All of them about how much he liked her.

Now that he was aware and accepted that fact, he noticed every little quirk of hers he enjoyed seeing from her. The way she would snap him out of his thoughts when he zoned out. The way she laughed. The way she moved when they were playing on stage.

Then it all came crashing down when he remembered that he didn't stand a chance with her. No matter how much he wished it was different, she already had someone she liked. He just wished he could make himself… stop. It was like he was torturing himself. Pining after something he knew damn well he couldn't have.

And what made it worse was that he was hurting her while he was doing it. She already had enough stuff going on with her. She didn't need another love interest making things complicated, she just needed a friend. Why couldn't he just be that damn it. Why'd he have to ruin it and fall for her?

Then there was his family. His aunt hadn't said anything, but he knew she was angry about him snapping at her. As loving as she was to them, the woman could hold a grudge.

Beck had seemed pretty irritated with him. At first he thought it was because he had shoved him on his way back from the party, but that didn't seem to be the case. Apparently Luan had been upset her sister was feeling down, and Beck didn't like that. He hadn't said anything, but Ben was pretty sure a reckoning with Beck was in his near future.

He had to lookout for Bruno too. His eldest brother wasn't particularly mad at him, but he knew something was up, and he was going to find out. He always did.

There was a knock on his door, and Brutus' head shot up. "It's open," Ben said.

Bruno made his way inside the room. Speak of the devil. "Yo, what's up little brother?"

Ben sighed. "I don't feel like talking Bruno…"

Bruno hummed. "Well… kind of sucks to be you then. Cause we're gonna talk," he said before pulling out the chair from Ben's desk. He took a seat and turned towards him. "So, do you want to pussy foot around this or get straight to the point?"

"I want you out of my room…"

"Straight to the point it is." Bruno leaned forward. "So, what's going on with you and Luna? I know the way you been acting lately can't just be because of that jackass Eddy."

Ben groaned. "Uh, would you please just leave? I don't want to talk about this."

Bruno chuckled. "See, that's the problem. You never want to talk about anything," he said pointing at him. "You didn't want to talk about how moving made you feel, you didn't want to talk about Luna, you didn't want to talk about your eyes."

Ben looked up from his guitar and stared at Bruno. "What?"

Bruno frowned. "Oh, now I have your attention huh?" he asked growing serious. "Did you think we didn't know? Auntie might not have said anything but Bruno kept cameras everywhere, even back then. Just didn't say anything because we figured you would eventually. When you were ready. Boy were we wrong on that one."

Ben gripped his guitar tightly. "Do the twins know?"

"No. Neither does Beck. Just me and Bruce," Bruno answered.

Ben was silent for a moment, and then chuckled. "Hmm, should have known. Nothing goes on with any of us without you knowing right? You're our all-knowing big brother"

Bruno narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I am your brother. I'm supposed to know stuff about you guys. Especially when it involves trying to burn your own eyes out."

Ben grit his teeth. "I was a kid… I didn't know better."

"Yeah, you were. A stupid little kid, just like the rest of us. But somehow, you managed to keep on doing the same stupid crap you did back then."

Ben glared at him. "Screw off."

"You never even tried to talk to us about it. You just shut it in just you're doing now. You know, I actually thought for a while that maybe Luna would be the one who could get you to stop clamming up every time something went wrong, but sure enough you shut her out too."

Ben set his guitar down and got up. "Screw this."

He headed for the door, but Bruno cut him off and shoved him right back onto his bed. "Sit down, I'm not done with you yet," he said sternly. "I keep on trying to be patient with you. I keep hoping that at some point you're gonna learn to talk to us, but it's not happening. So times up, we're hashing this out right now."

"Bruno, I'm not in the mood for this right now!"

"Too bad," he said standing in front of him. "Do you know Auntie is terrified right now? Last time you were this shut off you did something stupid. She thinks you're going to do it again."

Ben avoided looking at him. He knew he was right. As mad as she seemed, his aunt was probably worried sick right now. "I'll talk to her…"

"You'll just tell her everything is okay without explaining it. You'll do the same thing to Beck, and me, and probably Luna too. You don't seem to get that you saying its okay isn't enough. Especially when we can clearly see it's NOT okay."

Ben growled. "Look, I can't talk about it, okay!"

"It's not that you can't, it's that you _won't_!" Bruno countered. "I get it, it's probably some personal crap or girl troubles, or maybe something you promised Luna or… I don't know! But give us something to work with! We don't need every little detail, but we need something!"

Ben sat there silent for a moment, then pointed towards the door. "Get out…" Bruno looked like he was about to speak again, but Ben cut him off. "I don't want to hear whatever other bullshit you have to say. I just… I wanna be alone. Get out." He picked his guitar back up and began tuning it.

Bruno chuckled and shook his head. "Wow… you know, you kept worrying about your eyes, but that wasn't the problem. It was your personality. You're a good kid Ben, but you just… you really are turning out more like mom every day."

The string on Ben's guitar snapped, and his eyes widened. He quickly dropped his guitar and got up, standing face to face with Bruno. "The hell did you just say?" Ben asked glaring at him.

"You heard me," Bruno shot back.

The two of them stood off against one another, and Brutus whined and lowered his head. Ben balled his fist up and looked like he was going to swing at him for a second, but then just pointed towards the door. "Leave man…" Bruno stared at him for a few more seconds before turning around and walking out.

Once he left Ben walked over to his bed and flopped down on top of it. Well, things had officially gotten worse than they already were.

"… _more like mom every day…_ "

Hegrit his teeth. "…god damn it…"

* * *

 **A/N: So, things are going from bad to worse for Ben. And Luna Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry it took so to put out. A combination of writer's block and being sick really put me out of commission for a while. But I'm feeling better now. I actually took a reviewers advice for this chapter and wrote from Luna's point of view, which helped out a lot.**

 **Will start working on the next chapter, but I might upload an bousnus inbetween. Will also have a bit more of Oliver and Kimi in it. Thanks for reading guys, and don't forget to leave a review! Now time for some reviewer responses!**

 **lttlgreg: Well, we're just going to have to wait and see! I can garuntee no matter how it plays out there's going to be drama though.  
**

 **DannyPhantom619: Yeah, teenage years are definately a kick in the balls. Emotions, relationships, horrible things happening to your body. Ben's got a hell of a time ahead of him.  
**

 **Witch-King Angmar: Yeah, Leni really is an innocent little soul. And Ben is really going through the ringer. Wonder just how bad things are going to get before he gets a break.**

 **tylerchavis97: They definately both got it rough right now. We'll just have to keep reading to find out if they can pull it together.  
**


	17. Anger Management

To say that things were tense in the Brittle house was a huge understatement. This morning when Ben had left for school, he hadn't uttered a word to his family. His aunt, Bruno, and Beck hadn't even spared him a glance as he grabbed a bagel and made his way out. Bruce and the twins had looked confused, but didn't say anything either.

Luna had texted him and said she was riding to school with her sisters, and when he saw her in homeroom she'd barely said anything to him. Seemed like she was going to act as distant as she thought he was being. She'd been hanging out with Sam and her group lately, which was driving him absolutely insane inside.

Oh, and his school life was going to hell too. Couldn't forget that. Now not only was everybody talking about how much of a punk he was for not taking on Eddy, but they were going on about how he clearly screwed up his relationship with Luna. A relationship that never even existed in the first place.

The only ones who he really had to fall back on right on right now were Olly and Kimi. The ladder didn't share most of his classes, so he never saw her. The former was sticking to him like glue. If nothing else Oliver was loyal.

When he started eating lunch in one of the empty classrooms, he told Oliver that it would probably be best if he got some distance from him. The guy used to get picked on by Eddy too, and he didn't want him being a target again. But Oliver seemed dead set on staying.

" _I got bullied before, and nobody did anything. I'm not sitting by while someone else gets the same treatment. Especially not my friend._ "

Ben honestly wasn't sure what he did to deserve such a loyal friend, but he was thankful there was at least one person who didn't despise him right now. The two of them sat at two of the empty desks in the music room enjoying their lunches. "So… is Luna coming to practice today?" Oliver asked.

The other boy sighed. "I don't know man…"

Olly hummed. "She's uh… she's really mad at you right now you know. She just wants you to go talk to her," the Australian explained.

Ben hung his head. He knew eventually Olly would start asking questions too. The guy wasn't just his friend, he was Luna's too. He was probably trying to help get them back on track. But he really hadn't felt like bringing it up right now. Or at all if he was being honest. "I know…"

"So why won't you?"

"It's personal."

Oliver once again hummed. "Well, it's personal for her too. If you don't say something to her soon she… I don't know man. I just think you should at least try to calm her down or something," he said looking to his friend.

Ben frowned. "Olly, believe me. She doesn't want to hear anything I have to say." Before Oliver could say something back, they heard the door open. They both turned expecting to see a teacher, and sure enough there was one. Just not the one they were expecting. "Mr. Gill?"

The man yawned and pushed his glasses up. "Well, well, well, your brother said you'd probably be in here. I expected you to be all alone though. Nice to see you're not being a complete emo loner. How's it hanging Osman?" he asked.

"Uh… good I guess," Oliver said awkwardly.

Ben scowled. He couldn't really say he disliked his homeroom teacher. It was just… well, Ben had never really had a teacher like him. He was laid back and sort of lazy, but under that aloof attitude he was just as smart as any of their other teachers. Probably smarter. He was also hard to read, which kind of unnerved him a little.

"What's with the look Brittle?"

"What are you doing here?" Ben asked.

The man took a seat at one of the desk, and then pulled out a bag. "Eating lunch, just like you. Got a problem with that?" he asked as he pulled out a plastic bowl filled with tuna fish.

Ben and Olly shared a look, and then turned back to him. "Uh… why?" Olly asked.

Mr. Gill rubbed his chin. "Good question. Partly because I hate all the chatter going on in the staff room doing lunch. The rest of the staff who have this period off are totally annoying. The other reason is because Berta asked me to have a chat with you."

"I'm sorry, what was that?!" Ben asked wide eyed.

"Who's Berta?" Olly asked confused.

Mr. Gill pointed towards Ben. "His aunt. The lady who runs the bakery you play at. You didn't know her name? You freaking work there man."

"I just call her Ms. Brittle."

Ben cut the two of them off. "Hold the hell on! How do you know my aunt?! Why would she ask you to talk to me?!" he asked standing up.

"Well, I heard everyone going on about how great the bakery was, so I stopped by. Then I saw your unusually attractive aunt and said to myself, 'I gotta come back here'. Now I usually go by around lunch to grab a snack and make some small talk."

Ben narrowed his eyes. "Did you call my aunt attractive?"

"Are you disagreeing? Because seriously, she is hot. I know you can't see it because your family, but that woman is godly. Butt looks like it was crafted by-"

Ben held his hands up. "Stop! Stop right the hell now! Uh!" He couldn't stomach someone talking about his aunt like that. "Just… why would she ask you to talk to me?"

Mr. Gill sighed. "I don't know man. I give her status updates on how you're doing in class and she seemed to be under the impression that because I'm your homeroom teacher that I have some sort of bond with you or something. I only said yes because I was hoping to get some brownie points with her."

Ben growled. "So you're just going to blatantly tell me you're trying to get with my aunt? Not even going to try and be slick about it?" he asked in disbelief.

"Seriously, she's hot man."

"Okay, on that note I'll be taking my leave. I'll catch you later Olly."

Mr. Gill raised his hand. "Okay, okay, hold on a sec. I am your teacher so I guess I'm supposed to at least act like I care. So sit down, let's shoot the shit for a while. I promise I won't mention your sexy aunt anymore."

"You just did it again!"

"Last time, I promise!"

Ben looked towards Oliver who just shrugged. He sighed and sat back down in his seat. "I'm not talking about what happened," he said picking his sandwich back up.

"We don't have to," Gill said shrugging. "We can talk about anything. Feel free to join in Osman. I don't think I'm going to get much from Mr. Chatterbox over here anyway." Ben grunted while Oliver raised his hand. "This isn't class, you don't have to raise your hand."

"Oh, right. So what would you do if you have a friend who won't let you help him with his problems and keeps everything to-"

Ben turned towards him. "Damn it Olly! I said I didn't want to talk about this! And don't go telling him my business!"

"Well I'm sorry man, but this isn't healthy!" Oliver argued. "You can't just keep on holding stuff in. It's not good for you."

"I appreciate the thought, but I'm fine. I can handle myself and-"

Mr. Gill suddenly laughed. "Oh, no. Not you can't. You think you can because you're a teenage boy. But the reality is you can't handle shit," he said simply.

Ben glared at him. "Screw you!"

The man didn't seem bothered at all by the outburst. "What's with you anyway? Is this a tough guy thing? You think asking for help makes you weak or something?" he asked casually.

Ben grit his teeth. "You want to know why I don't say anything?! Fine! I don't say anything because everyone has enough crap to deal with already!" he shouted.

Mr. Gill hummed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He looked at his teacher in disbelief. "What does it mean?! My aunt is trying to make a business in a brand new town work! Bruno is getting ready to go off to college! Bruce had never been good with this stuff! And the others are too young to deal with this crap! It's always been like this! If it wasn't mom leaving it was us going hungry or some crap like that!"

"What about Luna then?" Gill asked. "You like her right? Why not talk to her?"

Ben growled. Ignoring the fact that someone yet again figured out he liked Luna long before he himself did, he was tired of this. "Because she doesn't like me back, okay?! She likes someone else! She told me so!"

"So you're jealous then?"

"No… yes… I don't know! I just don't want to put her in that position! I've only known her a couple of weeks. Now I'm supposed to just walk up to her and tell her I like her? How the hell is that supposed to go?"

Gill snapped his fingers. "Oh, I get it. You're keeping your mouth shut because you don't want to throw your problems on your friends and family," he said.

Ben held his hands out. "Yes! Yes, that's it! They have enough stuff to deal with already, I just don't want to throw my crap on top of it. Is that really so wrong?" he asked. Gill stood up and walked over to him. He reached up, and then flicked his forehead. "Ow! What the hell?"

"You're a dumbass," Gill said simply.

Ben blinked and stared at him blankly before frowning. "What?"

"Do you honestly think that hiding your problems from them is making them worry less? What type of stupid logic is that kid?" Gill asked shaking his head.

"But I'm just-"

Gill cut him off. "Kid, let me ask you this. If you saw Oliver over here coming to school beat up every single day and you asked him what was wrong, do you really think you'd be satisfied if he told you nothing?" he asked.

"Of course not! But that's different!"

"How?"

"Because he… he wouldn't be… I'm not getting…" Ben kept thinking for a while. The answer had felt so obvious a second ago, but now that he thought about it, he couldn't really find a real difference in that situation.

Gill smirked. "Gears finally starting to turn in there buddy?"

Ben put his hand over his face. "God damn it! I'm an idiot!"

"Yes, yes you are," Gill said taking a bite from his food. "But don't feel bad, you're a teenager. You're all idiots when it comes down to it."

Ben got up and made his way towards the door. "Where are you going?" Oliver asked.

"I'm going to apologize for making a total ass of myself."

He sped out of the room and towards the cafeteria. How could he be so stupid?! Of course Luna and his brothers were worried about him! Who wouldn't be worried if a friend just started bottling everything up! He needed to find her and set things straight right now!

He came through the cafeteria doors and looked around. It didn't take him long to spot Luna sitting with Sam and Kimi. He got ready to head over towards her, but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Lori glaring at him. "We need to talk."

"Shit…" He glanced back towards the table then back at Lori. "Lori, listen. I don't know what Luna told you but I-"

Lori held her hand up. "Save it. I'm not in the mood for your excuses. My sister is feeling down because you've been avoiding her like the plague. So you're going to march over there and talk to her right this minute, or else."

"That's what I was going to do now," Ben said bluntly.

Lori opened her eyes. "Oh… well, carry on then."

"Thank you." He turned around to run to Luna, but then bumped into someone. He stumbled back as he heard something hit the floor, and when he opened his eyes he paled. "Oh c'mon…" It really did feel like the universe was seriously out to get him.

Eddy glared down at him, the food that had been on his lunch tray now spilled all over the jock's clothes. "You're dead Brittle…" the hulking boy said cracking his neck.

"Damn it…"

* * *

Luna had been doing her best to enjoy her lunch. Her father had made her and her sisters tuna salad, and it had been by no means bad. But she supposed she just hadn't been in the mood for it. She wondered what exactly Ben had brought for lunch today.

He'd always packed his own lunch, and would always throw in a little extra for her to try. He'd try to act like it was no big deal, but he was just as passionate about cooking as he was about music, and getting her to try his new recipes had become a routine of theirs.

"Hey Luna, you okay?"

Luna looked over and saw Sam and Kimi staring at her. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Guess I'm just not that hungry today," she said.

Sam and Kimi both frowned and shared a look before turning back to her. "Are you really sure everything is alright? You've been acting kind of down lately," Sam said concerned. "I… I know this isn't really any of my business, but does this have to do with Ben?"

Luna poked at her food with her fork. "…I guess so. We kind of got into a fight cause he won't talk to me about something and…" she banged her head on the table. "Uh. I want to talk to him but I don't know what I'd even say. I don't know whether to apologize for yelling at him or keeping being angry at him for still not talking. It's so confusing dudes."

Kimi sighed. "I really wish I could give you something to work with, but he hasn't said anything to Olly either. Not that I thought he would. If you can't get him to talk, I don't think anyone will," she said before drinking from her carton of milk.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I mean I don't know him that well, but he really seems to like… I mean respect you," the blonde said quickly correcting her wording. "Whatever he's hiding has to be something if he's not willing to spill it to you."

"Do you guys think I'm stressing too much over this? I mean, even best friends have some secrets between them right?" she asked.

Kimi rubbed her chin. "I don't know. I don't think Olly keeps anything from me." Sam bumped the girl with her elbow. "Ow! What I say?" She then noticed Luna looking even more down. "Ah! But then again he's not my best friend, he's my boyfriend! So there's a different, you know!" she said laughing nervously.

Sam sighed. "Look, I think the best thing you can do is gave him some time to sort things out himself. Give him a little space, and just be there. If you really need to say something then just let him know that you're ready to listen when he's ready to talk," she advised.

Luna's frowned deepened. As much as she hated to admit it Sam was right. There was nothing she could really do right now. "Yeah. Guess so…" She looked up at the two girls. "Thanks for hanging with me dudes. I know you usually hang with Nate and Tammy, and you got Oliver. So it really means a lot you're sticking me mopey old me."

Sam and Kimi smiled. "Hey, don't sweat it. What are friends for," Sam said.

"Yeah. And I've never had girl friends to hang out with before. Hey, we should do a girls night or something like that. Never done one of those," Kimi said.

"I'm not doing makeovers," Sam said bluntly.

"Oh, is that what they do at those things?"

Before their conversation could continue they heard a loud crash, followed by a number of gasps. Luna turned her head towards the noise. "What was that?" She saw a few of the students getting up and heading towards the doors. "A fight?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Has to be. That's the only thing everyone gathers around so quickly for. I don't get why everybody has to have a front row view of…" she stopped when she saw Kimi standing on the table, struggling to see over the other students.

"Damn it! I can't see!" Kimi complained.

"Okay then…" Sam muttered.

Kimi stood on her toes, and then suddenly frowned. "Uh-oh…"

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"Uh… I think Ben is about to get into a fight with Eddy…"

"What?!"

Luna quickly got up and headed towards the crowd, ignoring Sam and Kimi's calls. However she felt about Ben right now, he was still her friend. She knew Eddy had been looking for a reason to start a fight with him, and as much as she wanted to hope he could hold his own, Eddy was twice his size. "Move!" she said pushing past the other students.

When she got to the middle she saw Eddy smirking with his fists raised. Ben was across from him with a scowl, and standing in between them was Lori who had her arms held out. "It was an accident Eddy! He bumped into you! This is ridiculous!"

"You know Brittle, I really do have to give you props. You got all three Loud sisters on a tighy leash ready to jump whenever you say."

Lori glared at him, and Ben balled his fist up. Luna growled and looked ready to step in, but Sam quickly grabbed her by the arm. "Don't, it's just gonna get even worse. Let Lori handle it."

Ben stepped forward but Lori pushed him back. "Don't, he's just trying to egg you on. You know damn well even if you fight him now his friends will just jump you later and you're done for," Lori warned.

Eddy laughed. "Like I needs my boys to beat this chump," he said holding his arms out. "C'mon Brittle, you look like you're as riled up as I am! It's just me here! You want your shot, take it! I'm right here!"

Ben kept glaring at him, the only thing keeping him back being Lori. Luna knew just how much he wanted to knock that smirk off his face. Despite his best efforts to ignore him, Eddy had done nothing but mock and insult Ben since the party.

"Don't." Lori repeated. "He's not worth it. Just turn around and walk away."

After a few more moments, the third eldest Brittle brother took a deep breath, and then turned around and began to walk away. Eddy frowned. "There you go, running away again! You ever gonna stand and fight like a man? Shit, you're more of a bitch than she is!"

Ben paused looking over his shoulder with a glare. Lori quickly stepped forward and grabbed his shoulders. "Ben! It's fine, I don't care! Just keep on walking!" Ben grit his teeth but somehow pushed back the urge to rush him.

Luna on the other hand didn't take to kindly towards the comment made at her sister. "You better watch your mouth you asshole!" she shouted angrily. Sam and Kimi quickly grabbed her arms, keeping her back from the jock.

Everyone turned towards her. Lori and Ben with surprised expressions, while Eddy grew a wicked smirk on his face. He knew exactly how to push Ben over the edge now. "Oh, and there's the other one. Right on time. You really do keep them in check huh?"

Ben's eye twitched, and he tried to move forward. Lori was barely able to keep him back. "Ben, stop it! Don't fall for it! He's just-"

"Hey Ben, just out of curiosity. Out of the three of them, which one is better in the sack? I bet its Luna isn't it? She just seems like the type whose down for _anything_."

There was a long silence after Eddy had made the comment. Both Loud sisters, as well as most of the surrounding students, looked at him wide eyed. Luna's face twisted into one of anger, but before she could speak up Ben moved.

He slipped past Lori, speeding towards Eddy with a look of pure rage of his face. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Eddy smiled and swung his fist at the charging boy, but Ben ducked under the punch and tackled him. He managed to push the jock back a few feet, but the difference in size was much too great. Eddy stopped him dead in his tracks before delivering an uppercut right to Ben's face.

Everyone winced as Ben's head snapped back from the blow. "Finally, I've been waiting all week to beat your ass Brittle!" Eddy said as Ben stumbled back. He rushed at him, lifting both hands to grab him.

Ben lifted his own hands and they locked up, the two trying to push one another back. After a mere second Eddy began overpowering him. Luna panicked. This was bad. Very bad. Ben was outsized and outmuscled. There was no way he could win this.

She had to do something. Go get his brothers maybe? But she didn't know what classes they were in. She'd never find them in time. She balled her fist up and got ready to jump in. She'd step in herself if she had to! "Luna, no!" Sam said as she and Kimi kept holding on.

"No! Let me go!" Eddy kept pushing, trying to pin him again the wall. "Get off of me! He can't win! He's going to-" Before she could finish Ben suddenly kicked upwards. Everyone in the cafeteria gasped as his foot connected with Eddy's chin, sending the larger boy stumbling back.

Luna, Sam, and Kimi looked wide eyed. "Uh… did you know he could do that?" Kimi asked.

Eddy looked at him furiously before getting up and taking another swing at him. Ben moved and dodged the punched. In one fluid motion he grabbed Eddy wrist, and then the front of his shirt. Everyone watched in awe as Ben yelled before suddenly throwing the boy over his shoulder. He used the momentum to send the football player flying a few feet.

Eddy crashed against the ground and slid as Ben wiped some of the blood from his nose. "Holy shit!" Sam said stunned.

Luna watched as Ben charged at Eddy who was just getting up. Before he could get to his feet, Ben kicked him in the back of the knee and sending him right back down. Then he grabbed him around the neck, catching him in a chokehold.

Eddy gasped and tried to pry Ben's arms off, but he kept them locked down. "We call this one the Coquina Clutch back home!" Ben said smirking.

Everyone began cheering at the unexpected direction of the fight. It quickly came to an end however when Eddy reached over his shoulders and grabbed Ben by the shirt. He threw the smaller boy over his own shoulders and down onto the ground in front of him.

Eddy took the chance to catch his breath before trying to get to his feet. Ben however grabbed his arm, pulling him back down and right into a triangle chokehold. "G-get off of me!" he shouted angrily.

"Not a chance asshole!" Ben yelled back.

Ben held on as tightly as he could, and soon Eddy began feeling lightheaded. If he didn't break out of this soon he was going to pass out. The hulking boy let out a yell before attempting to get back up to his feet. He would lifted his whole body up slam Ben to the ground if he had to.

Before he could get all the way up though, Ben moved his leg and shifted his weight, knocking him right back down and pulling him into the arm bar. "You're not going anywhere!"

Eddy growled and tried to pull his arm free, but Ben just pulled tighter. "GAH! Shit! You're gonna break my arm!" he yelled.

"That's the fucking idea!" Ben shouted back with an evil smile. "You're such a badass! Always saying how much better you are then my brothers! Well now you'll get the chance to prove it! Let's see how well you play with one fucking arm"

Ben began pulling on his arm, and Eddy yelled out in pain. "Ah! I give! I give, I'm sorry man, I'll back off! Just let go!" Eddy shouted desperately. He was doing his best to keep his arm straight, but it was clear he couldn't hold out much longer.

"You had your chance to back off!"

Everyone paled slightly. They had gathered around to see a fight, but they hadn't expected it to go this far. Sam quickly stepped forward. This had gone on long enough. "Ben! Stop it! You won!" she yelled.

He turned towards her. "No! I haven't! I gave him every fucking chance to back off and let it go! He's not going to stop until I make him!"

"Ben, if you do this you're crossing a line! It's not worth it!" Lori said trying to calm him.

"YES IT FUCKING IS!"

Luna looked at Ben in shock. She had never seen him like this before. It was like every single thing he'd been holding in the past week was just pouring out in rage. She quickly stepped forward and made her way towards him. "Ben!" The boy turned towards her with a scowl, but it softened when he realized who it was that called him. She shook her head. "You won, it's over. Just… please stop?" she asked.

Ben kept scowling for a few moments, and then looked down at Eddy. He grit his teeth, his grip tightening just a little. Luna could tell he genuinely _wanted_ to just snap his arm then and there, and for a moment she thought he would anyway. But instead he leaned down towards the larger boy.

"If I ever hear any of their names come out of your mouth again, I'm not going to stop at the arm…" he muttered dangerously.

"I get it…" Eddy said wincing.

With that, Ben reluctantly let go, and Eddy rolled over and grabbed his arm in pain. Ben got up and stormed towards the door, everyone quickly moving out of his way. Luna wasted no time following after him, ignoring both her sister and friends calls.

The two moved into the hallway before Luna ran up next to him. "Where are you going?" she asked grabbing his arm.

He yanked himself away from her. "Home. I'm going home." He kept on walking.

Luna looked hurt for a moment, but then her expression went into anger. "Ben!" He kept on going, seeming to ignore her. "BEN!" she shouted louder. "You turn around and look at me right the hell now!"

Ben stopped, but didn't turn around. He hung his head and sighed. "Luna, look. I'm sorry about everything. I was wrong okay. But right now I really don't-"

"I don't give a damn what you feel like! Turn around and look at me right now!"

There were a few seconds of pure silence, and then Ben slowly turned around to face her. She wished she could say she was surprised to see that his nose looked crooked, but after that punch to the face she knew there was no way he had come out unscathed.

She narrowed her eyes. "We're going to the nurse's office."

"Luna, I don't need-"

She walked up and poked him in the chest. "I'm not _asking_ you. I'm _telling_ you. Now c'mon, we're going right now," she order as she grabbed his wrist. She started pulling him along after her, not even giving him the chance to argue.

Ben wore a confused look on his face. "Luna…"

"I don't want to hear it Ben!" she snapped. "To hell with your thought guy act. I'm not going to let you go walking around with a broken nose."

He stared at her back, and she could feel his hand shaking slightly. "I Just…why? I thought you were still mad at me. I've been ignoring you. I've been an asshole. I know you were upset at me. Lori said so. So how come-"

Luna tightened her grip on his wrist. "Because, we're friends…" she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And no matter how much of a total ass you make of yourself, we're still going to be friends. You're stuck with me Brittle. Like it or not…"

Ben just stared at her for a while, and then hung his head. "…thank you…"

* * *

 **A/N: Hey there guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I was planning on updating this one later, but I had the urge get this one out so figured I might as well go for it before I get lazy. So Ben realizes he was being a goober thanks to Gill, but things still aren't exactly peaches and cream quite yet. There's still going to be some crap to deal with for Ben and Luna.**

 **Also, told you guys were going to be a fight scene. Hope you guys liked it. And don't worry, it'll be explained why Ben can fight like that next chapter. I didn't want to just have it out of nowehere, but I also didn't want a forced explanation. So I'm saving it for later.**

 **I wanted Gill to be the one to snap Ben out of being closed off since I have plans for him later, so I want to start giving him, and a few other characters, a little limelight.**

 **Okay, reviwer responses!**

 **lttlgreg: Thanks. This is honestly the first time I've written a story where the character has hit such a low point, so I hope I'm doing a good balance of it. Thanks for reading!**

 **0198: Well, Mr. Gill has managed to snap him out of being so stubborn, but he still has some stuff to get off his chest. We'll see how it goes!**

 **Guest: Nothing is ever simple with it comes to teenagers my friend. They take the most simple problems and turn them into the biggest things ever.**

 **Witch-King Angmar: Yeah, I have been thinking Sam needs to have a more active role in the story. I definately have more plans for her after this little spat between Ben and Luna. Thanks for the review!  
**


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